DOWNTOWN EXPRESS, APRIL 9, 2015 by Schneps Media

VOLUME 27, NUMBER 22

APRIL 9-APRIL 22, 2015

PARENTS LOOK FOR BETTER WAY TO APPLY TO MIDDLE SCHOOLS BY D U SI CA SU E M A LE S E V IC he stress-ridden middle school admission process in District 2 lacks any real choice, according to some, and there’s a new idea intended to fix that, but it could strain schools already flooded with applicants. Eric Goldberg, a member of the district’s Community Education Council for the last four years, said the feedback from parents and administrators has been that the “middle school process is broken.” District 2 covers much of Downtown as well as parts of the West Side and the Upper East Side. In order to address the problems with the current admission process, Goldberg said that the C.E.C. has been discussing structural changes but there has no consensus as what is to be done. He no longer wants to wait, he said, to make immediate

Continued on page 6

TRADER JOE’S DOWNTOWN? PG. 3

CATS RESCUED FROM RUBBLE PG. 17

Downtown Express photo by Scot Surbeck

Regal Cinemas Battery Park will be central to this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which in recent years has mostly strayed miles away from its namesake nabe. Yes, the theater is in Battery Park City, but a short walk away. The free Tribeca Family Festival street fair returns to Greenwich St. (between Chambers and Hubert Sts.) all day starting at 10 a.m. on Sat., April 25.

Putting ‘Tribeca’ back in to the Film Festival B Y S C O TT STIF F L ER ld enough to assert itself but young enough to learn new tricks, the 14th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival is back where it started. Here we go round again — this time with a new multi-screen venue, a sprawling events hub and prestige premieres all taking place on the West Side, below Canal St. It’s a conscious effort to reconnect with the festival’s initial purpose: make Lower Manhattan a cultural destination, and give a much-needed boost to an area struggling to recover from 9/11. During its 2002 debut, this mission

was a rousing success — but as the years went by, righteous grumblings were heard that the festival was becoming increasingly disassociated from its namesake neighborhood. That feeling was understandable, especially among ticketholders who found themselves trekking to Third Ave. and 11th St. for screenings at AMC Loews Village 7, or finding the red carpet located in Chelsea. Still, two out of three ain’t bad in the name and deed department, considering that the Tribeca Film Festival has presented 1,600 films from more than 80 countries, attracted 4.9 million attendees, delivered an estimated $900

million into New York City’s economic coffers and distinguished itself as a destination for festival devotees and foreign tourists. This year, from April 15-26, several notable changes will once again link the brand name to the physical location it invokes. The Regal Cinemas Battery Park Stadium 11 facility replaces Loews Village 7. The School of Visual Arts’ two-screen SVA Theater remains, along with the nine-screen Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea (both are on W. 23rd St. near Eighth Ave., in eyeball distance of one another). Continued on page 26

SILVER FALLOUT Paul Goldstein, director of Assemblymember Shelly Silver’s district office, has just retired but he continues to work part time at the same job. Goldstein, 60, did not refer directly to Silver’s federal indictment on corruption charges Wednesday, but he did tell UnderCover the change is good for him and for Silver, who has a reduced payroll now that he is no longer Assembly speaker. “I still do the work I love,” he said. “I believe in this kind of work. I believe in this community. I love working for Shelly.” Goldstein, a Southbridge Towers resident, has worked for Silver for over

eight years, and before that he was district manager of Community Board 1 for 23. He said he will continue working on getting more schools built and trying to solve other community problems in the half-time position. He will get his regular pension and said he did not get any incentives to retire early. The move also gives him more time to take care of his ailing father, who lives in Brooklyn. He said when the news first broke in January, there was a lot of uncertainly, but things have gotten back to normal. He also said Silver’s spirits are “generally good.” At first, “we weren’t sure what was going on — it was a surprise to a lot of people.” But one longtime Silver supporter, John Quinn, a local Democratic leader, said he worries that worthy Downtown non-profits will have budgets cuts with Silver’s loss of power. He’s also heard things are far from normal internally. “Their office is virtually in lockdown understandably,” he said. “People are looking for other jobs.”

tower at 111 Murray St. in Tribeca said it was 740 feet. In March, it quickly grew over a hundred feet to 857, according to zoning diagrams filed with the city Dept. of Buildings. What gives, we wondered, and spent a few weeks getting no answers from the P.R. team. At Community Board 1’s Tribeca Committee meeting on Feb. 11, the project executive for the developer, Fisher Brothers, Alex Adams, said the plan was to build 740 feet despite reports to the contrary from the real estate blogosphere. Renderings are still not available for the as-of-right building, although there are some drawings floating around the web. At least it is not the rendering that terrified people with its multi-shaped top that looked like a platform for the aliens, for when they finally decide to invade. Michael Levine, zoning guru, C.B. 1 consulting planner and former City Planning Dept. vet, cautioned against making too much of the height discrepancy, saying it was standard practice for developers to file for structures larger than they may end up building.

TALL TALES?

Democratic District Leader Jenifer Rajkumar tells us the last “Ready for

In February, developer of the proposed

HILLARY FEVER

Hopes rise for Trader Joe’s in FiDi

Photo by Robert Braunfeld, courtesy of the Gateway Plaza Tenants Association

Former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly last year with Paul Goldstein.

Hillary” event before the expected presidential campaign announcement of Hillary Clinton likely will be in Battery Park City Sat., April 11, at SouthWest NY. The Big Lady herself can’t and won’t be showing up, Rajkumar said, because she is not allowed to coordinate with the “Ready” political action committee, but honored guests include U.S. Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, as well as Gale Brewer, Manhattan’s beep. Rajkumar, the co-chairperson of the PAC’s National Millennial Council, said others with the PAC have started to join the campaign-to-be, but she has “no current plans to do so.”

BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C The possibility that a Trader Joe’s may be part of the new retail at 28 Liberty Plaza, formerly known as One Chase Manhattan Plaza, sent the Financial District Committee atwitter last week. “When I met with Fosun Properties, I mentioned since they said retail, how about Trader Joe’s? To my great surprise, they said we have the same thought and we’re going to be talking to them,” said Ro Sheffe, chairperson of the Community Board 1 committee, referring to the Chinese company that brought the tower for $725 million and is poised to renovate the plaza. “Great,” was the reaction to the news from other committee members. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed about that,” said Sheffe. The chance that a Trader Joe’s might join the neighborhood was salient as the committee also had on the docket at their Wed., Apr. 1 meeting to talk about the dearth of grocery stores in the Financial District. Committee member Deron Charkoudian brought up the issue and said that while “lugging my groceries back from Trader Joe’s in Union Square,” he thought about the lack of supermarkets. He ticked off nearby stores — Jubilee Market Place and the Key Food in the Seaport. While

Gristedes is in the neighborhood, he isn’t a fan. “As far as I know there is no other grocery store in the Financial District,” said Charkoudian. Sheffe concurred, saying, “It’s Fresh Direct territory.” Around 1997, Sheffe recalled that they were facing the same problem and the Downtown Alliance somehow encouraged Amish Market to open up near the World Trade Center site. It was destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks. “It was a very different time,” said Michael Ketring, an Alliance executive and a committee member. “There was nothing down here. I don’t see something like that happening [now].” Luis Vazquez , a public member of the committee public member, said, “When you mentioned Trader Joe’s as a possibility at Chase, that’s great.” Vazquez said that on the Trader Joe’s website, there is a form to recommend a store location. He said he periodically posts on his Facebook FiDi Fan Page to encourage people to write in and say they want a location in the Financial District. Trader Joe’s would draw a lot of people to the retail at 28 Liberty Plaza, which is an ideal place for the supermarket, said Vazquez, a real estate broker. Fosun’s plan to transform the plaza with glass storefronts requires city Landmarks approvals and C.B. 1 has raised objections to that part of the pro-

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wrote of Hess’ picture, which ws published on the cover of the Aug 28, 2014 edition. “Good crop and good composition.” The awards were announced at NYPA’s annual convention in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. March 27 and 28.

posal. That did not come up at Wednesday’s meeting. Trader Joe’s declined to comment for this article. “Everybody loves Trader Joe’s,” said Sheffe, who wants a grocery and wine store like the one in Union Square. C.B. 1 Chairperson Catherine McVay Hughes agreed, “I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like Trader Joe’s.”

One W.T.C. observation deck to open Move over Empire State Building, there is new game in town. One World Observatory will be opening Fri., May 29 — offering spectacular vistas of the city from above 1,250 feet. Located on three levels — 100, 101 and 102 — of 1 World Trade, the observatory will be high-tech. Upon entering, visitors will be met by a global welcome center that will feature greetings in a myriad of languages. Next, there is a pre-show program titled “Voices,” which tells the story of those who built 1 W.T.C., Center, a. k. a. the Freedom Tower, and then on to foundations, which shows facts about the bedrock on which the tower stands, according to the press release. Boarding one of five elevators, which are being called “sky pods,” visitors will ascend to the 102nd floor in under 60 seconds while immersive floor-toceiling L.E.D. technology “invites guests to experience a virtual time-lapse that recreates the development of New York City’s skyline from the 1600s to present day,” according to the press release. Three dining options will be on the 101st floor. There will be complimentary admission to Sept. 11 family members and the rescue and recovery workers who responded on 9/11 and in the months after. Admissions will be administered by the 9/11 Tribute Center. Admission prices will vary. For adults, ages 13-64, it will be $32; children ages six to 12, $26, and for seniors over 65, $30. Children five and under will be admitted at no charge, but must have a ticket to enter. All tickets are timed admission and will be valid for a specific time and date. For best availability for summer 2015, guests are encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance. Tickets went on sale April 8. www. OneWorldObservatory.com for more information. April 9-April 22, 2015

How are ballfield permits decided? Authority won’t say WOMAN FIGHTS OFF ATTACKER At around 2 a.m. on Sun., Mar. 15, a woman was walking on Mulberry St. when a man, who had been following her, touched her inappropriately over her clothing, police say. The woman, 27, fought off him and the suspect then fled. Police are looking for a man who is around 30 and weighs 180 pounds. They released a video of the suspect, which is posted at downtownexpress.com.

MIDDAY ROBBER THREATENS TO SHOOT On Tues., Mar. 24, a man approached an 18-year-old male teen who was waiting for a southbound train at the Brooklyn Bridge (4,5,6) station in the Civic Center at around 2 p.m., and threatened to shoot the teen if he didn’t hand over his cell phone, police say. The teen obliged and the man boarded a train that pulled into the station. Police say that at no time did he show a weapon. Police released a photo of the suspect who they say is around 20, weighs 160 pounds and is 5”6’. He was wearing a

black-hooded jacket and blue jeans at the time of the incident.

SCISSOR RAGE Jealousy and scissors don’t mix: a man who was hanging out with his ex-girlfriend on the 5 train, got sliced with scissors on his hand when she got upset he was looking at another woman, police say. The man was on a downtown express 5 train on Fri., Apr. 4 at around 10:30 p.m. when his ex-girlfriend took scissors out of her pocket and swung them at him, cutting his right hand. She also kicked his right leg. The Brooklyn man, 35, was treated at the scene near the Bowling Green stop while the woman, 24, fled. Police have not arrested her.

ATTACK FROM ASPIRING AD EXECS Traffic cones are not usually thought of as weapons, but two teens used them in a dispute with a man, 58, in the Seaport on Thurs., Mar. 26, police say. It is unclear what started the verbal altercation between the teenage males —

Police are looking for this suspect in connection with a March 24th mugging at the Brooklyn Bridge subway station.

one 14, one 16 — and the New Jersey man at around 4 p.m. in front of 55 Fulton St., police say. It escalated and the two teens grabbed the traffic cones and threw them at the man, causing lacerations to his face. Both teens were arrested. One is from Queens, the other from the Lower East Side, and both attend the Manhattan Early College School for Advertising, which is in the Seaport at 411 Pearl St. — not far from where the incident took place.

RUDE AWAKENING A Staten Island woman was so deep in sleep that she missed her South Ferry stop and was only awoken when a thief took her bag. The suspect got away with $850 worth of stuff, police say. The 25-year-old fell asleep on the 1 train going to South Ferry at 3:30 a.m. on Fri., Apr. 3, police say. The train started going back uptown again when she felt a lush worker — police term for thieves that prey on sleeping and often inebriated subway riders — remove her bag from her arm. Inside the purse was a $150 Michael Kors wallet, a

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Community Board 1 passed a resolution at their full board meeting on Mar. 24 that stated “the new process for assigning permits creates serious concerns and we must examine it for future seasons.” Further, it asked that the B.P.C.A. return to the multi-year permit model for the Downtown Little League, Downtown Soccer League and Manhattan Youth. In 2012, the authority agreed to three-year permits for the groups. When those permits expired

helping with those permit applications.” Forst did not respond to questions about whether the authority would be developing guidelines. On the B.P.C.A. website, there are guidelines for payment, property disposals and procurement, but no mention of how permits are decided. Notaro said the Downtown Little League, which lost about 20 hours in field time, seems to be okay with their season. Freddy Belliard, permit coordinator for the

‘The idea of using our open space as a cash cow is somewhat offensive.’ last year, the B.P.C.A. decided to open up the process to gauge interest. Despite the fact that, according to Forst, “at peak times including weekends, weekday afternoons and evenings, virtually 100 percent of the time on the ballfields was permitted in both the spring and fall seasons.” Anthony Notaro, chairperson of the Battery Park City Committee, said at their Tues., Apr. 7 meeting, “We would like to continue to work with the authority in establishing a formal process for

ballfields, told the committee that applications for the summer season, from July 1 through August 31, are online and the deadline is April 15. For the fall season, the process will begin around June, he said. Tom Goodkind, a committee member, said the idea of open bidding is scary as the community fears losing valued space. “The idea of using our open space as a cash cow is somewhat offensive,” he said.

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Take one inebriated man, early morning hours and two men “impersonating females” — and you get one mugging gone awry in the Financial District. Police say a drunk man, 28, was buying some food at a bodega at 150 Water St. at 4:45 a.m. on Sat., Mar. 28. The man told police that two men “impersonating females” attempted to seduce him. The two men grabbed the intoxicated man’s wallet and made a break for it, running out of the grocery store and dropping the wallet in their rush to escape. The store’s male employee, 33, corroborated the man’s story, telling police that he noticed a struggle. The man, who lives in the Seaport, recovered his wallet.

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BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C While the future of local groups’ ballfield time remains cloudy, the Battery Park City Authority has no established written guidelines for its permit process, according to its spokesperson. The Battery Park City community was taken by surprise this year when the authority decided to open up the permit process for the ballfields that neighbors pushed to be built and then carpet with AstroTurf for year-round play. Downtown Express asked repeatedly about the B.P.C.A.’s permit process and was told by Robin Forst, vice president for external relations, in an email that there were no written guidelines, so it is still not clear how the process works. “Based on the applications and taking into account the size and demographic group of the applicant with special consideration for youth groups, schools and school-based organizations, we issued the permits yielding over 99 percent of time allocation to local non-profit youth organizations and schools,” Forst wrote. Forst, who only communicated by email for this article, indicated that the authority gives an unspecified amount of consideration to local groups since demographics does include the “catchment area — if any — and what age groups that the applicant serves.”

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Middle schools’ ‘broken’ application process Continued from page 1

changes that could help parents and families. Goldberg has put a resolution that would swap the current model called “revealed choice” to “tiered choice.” In the current system, a student lists his or her preferences for the middle schools, ranking them first, second, third and so forth. The middle schools are made aware of how the student ranked them, thus “revealed choice.” However, due to overcrowding, many of the most sought-after schools are telling parents they will only consider students who rank them first. This system has some parents and school advocates calling foul. “I think that the current system is very unfair,” Eric Greenleaf, a Downtown school advocate, said in a phone interview. “It’s really very capricious too because it says you’re going to get one choice out of all these schools. If you don’t happen to get into the one you put first, then there’s a good chance that you’re going to end up with one that is no where near the top of your list.” For those students who rank a school first, the acceptance rate is under 40 percent, according to the resolution. Data from the Department of Education’s Office of Student Enrollment for Downtown schools for 2014-2015 mostly bears this out. Goldberg, the C.E.C. member, said, “That is one of the big imbalances I see in this current system of revealed choice — is that in essence it’s eroding choice in our district. Again, we have to remember that these are 11-year-old kids who are applying to middle school.” In a “tiered choice” model that Goldberg is proposing, students would still rank the schools, but the schools would only know how they were ranked by tier. Each tier would have four choices, thus tier one would have choices one through four, tier two includes five through eight, and tier three would have nine through 12. Goldberg says that this will lead to more choice for the student because at least four schools in a tier would consider them. “For me, the big issue here is that

Downtown Express file photo by Sam Spokony

District 2 Community Education Council member Eric Goldberg and Shino Tanikawa, the council’s president in 2012.

this middle-school — it should be a student-centered process. We need to move away from this fixation on a school-centered process to a student-centered process,” he said in a phone interview.

has concerns about how schools would handle evaluating even more students then they do now. For example, East Side Middle School had close to 500 applications ranking them first, Tanikawa

‘Should [we] …basically eliminate choice for students so schools can meet with students for 15, 20 minutes — that’s not the tradeoff I’m willing to make.” There is a reason that several popular schools — Manhattan Academy of Technology in Chinatown, East Side Middle School Uptown, I.S. 289 in Battery Park City, Salk School of Science in Gramercy Park, and in Chelsea: Clinton School for Writers & Artists and NYC Lab Middle School for Collaborative Studies — are asking either explicitly or implicitly that students list them first: resources. Greenleaf emphasized this point, saying that it takes a lot of people and money as well as time to vet all applicants. A former P.S. 234 parent, Greenleaf has conducted detailed analyses of Lower Manhattan’s school population for many years and his children have been through the middle school process. Shino Tanikawa, president of the C.E.C., said that the resolution is a good starting point for a district-wide discussion but she, too,

said in a phone interview. If the school had to look at candidates that ranked them just first and second — like under the new idea — it could maybe face reviewing 1,000 applications, she estimated. “It’s really a matter of how many applications can they possibly review without compromising their first priority of serving students who are already in the middle school,” she said. Tanikawa said that several schools conduct interviews, review student portfolios and projects in a group setting — things that require quite a bit of time, thinking and planning. While the C.E.C., made up of parents, has had discussions with the middle school principals, Tanikawa said that the current resolution needed more input from them and what kind of impact changing the system would have. “For us to move forward with

this resolution, the first step has to be can the principals manage this? Because they’ve already told us they couldn’t, so is there a way for them to manage this,” she said. “And then collectively come up with a solution that serves not just the families but also the middle schools.” Principals of M.A.T., I.S. 289, Lab and Salk declined to comment for this article. When asked about the resource crunch, Goldberg said that many schools use interviewing as a screen to maintain school culture and he questioned its efficacy, calling it the “least objective measure that’s out there of students.” “If someone is asking us to say that we should basically eliminate choice for students so schools can meet with students for 15, 20 minutes — that’s not the tradeoff I’m willing to make,” he said. Greenleaf, the Downtown school advocate, said that middle schools have challenges when it comes to assessing a student because they have less data to go on than high schools, which have G.P.A.s and test scores. “That means really there’s more demands put on the middle schools compared to the high schools for every student that they need to evaluate,” he said. “And so there is more of a need to bring children in for interviews, to create their own tests based on what their school is about and administer it to the kids.” Tanikawa said a change in the process may have consequences that parents need to be aware of. “I’m afraid what might happen if we force this on middle schools is that they’re going to be put into the corner,” she said, “and they’re going to have to figure out a way to either narrow the pool of candidates that they can have their qualitative assessments on… “Or they may decide not to use any qualitative assessments and strictly focus on attendance, grades and test scores — or they may decide not to screen at all and maybe randomly select students.” It is clear that the middle school process is a complicated one. Goldberg wants to have a more transparent system, encouraging the schools to share information, such

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New idea for middle school applications Continued from page 6

as the profile of a typical student — average test scores and grades — that gets admitted, with parents. Tricia Joyce, co-chairperson of Community Board 1’s Youth and Education Committee, recently completed the application process for her twin daughters and found it overwhelming, difficult and time-consuming. “No parent has enough information about what schools would accept their child and so they’re making this as a blind choice really,” she said. “Further exacerbating the issue is that if you don’t guess right, there is a good chance that you then slide all the way down the ladder of your supposed choices to your zone catchment school.” For Joyce, the root of the problem is overcrowding due to a lack of infrastructure. “I think that if you don’t build enough schools, then the schools are faced with 800 to 1,000 applications

for 120 spaces,” she said in a phone interview. “At that point they are doing what they can to manage parents’ expectations.” For example, she said, P.S./I.S. 276, a K-8 school in Battery Park City, told parents upfront that they had only nine seats open for their sixth grade as its current fifth graders are taking the majority of spots.

don’t forget about middle school. “Whenever you have a tsunami to your left and you have a tropical storm to your right, you’re going to try to deal with the tsunami first,” she explained, comparing middle schools to the storm. “But the tropical storm is definitely going to be there, it’s not going to go away.” The resolution will be discussed

‘How many applications can they possibly review without compromising their first priority of serving students who are already in the middle school.’ An increase in population in Lower Manhattan led to a kindergarten crisis in 2008, where there were eight kindergartens at P.S. 234 — a school built for five classes, said Joyce. At the time, there was a scramble to get elementary seats with many saying

at the upcoming C.E.C. meeting on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at 333 Seventh Ave. and parents and the community are encouraged to attend, said Goldberg. If it passes, it will then go to the D.O.E. admission office, which will have the final decision on imple-

menting the tiered choice model. Goldberg said the D.O.E. has been enthusiastic about the model, but wants to see community support for it. If the D.O.E. does move forward, it will affect the 2016-2017 school year, he said. “We value parental input and are constantly working to engage families in their students education,” said Yuridia Pena, deputy press secretary for the D.O.E, in an email. “Community Education Councils are integral to shaping education policies and we continue to work with parent leaders to gain feedback that will improve our policies.” Leo Contrastano lives in Tribeca and is a current fifth grader at P.S. 41 in the Village. He hopes to attend Lab for the upcoming year. When he heard about the possible change through his mother, Jessica, she said in an email that he likes the idea of having more choice, but didn’t like having to test for four schools — or the prospect they might all take place in one week.

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April 9-April 22, 2015

Safety adjustments coming to F.D.R.’s exit BY DUSICA SUE MAL ESEVIC The city Dept. of Transportation is making changes to an F.D.R. exit near Broad and South Sts. in an effort to improve traffic circulation in Lower Manhattan as well as make the area safer for pedestrians starting in three months. There have been some issues at the intersection of South and Broad Sts., where the F.D.R. exits onto South St., explained Richard Carmona, D.O.T. project manager and part of its Pedestrian Projects Group. “There’s a lot of traffic on local streets — traffic going around the horn, going from Water St. to State St. to get to the Hugh Carey Tunnel or to 9A or to the West Side,” he told Community Board 1’s Financial District Committee at their Wed., Apr. 1 meeting. From the pedestrian point of view — and why the D.O.T. became interested in the project — the more traffic that’s on local streets, the more vehicles are making turns through the crosswalk, he said. The D.O.T. is trying to minimize the number of vehicles doing that, said Carmona. Carmona explained the proposed plan, which included four elements. First, the D.O.T. wants to open the entrance from South St. into the Battery Park Underpass. To do this, the department will remove the Jersey barrier — concrete walls that are used to separate traffic lanes — and flexible delineators, which are plastic orange posts that, in this case, work as a deterrent to entering the tunnel. The 310-feet segment will then become a merging zone that will allow access from South St. to the Battery Park Underpass while still

maintaining access from the F.D.R. into exit 1, said Carmona. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Michael Ketring, a committee member and local resident. “It’s safe. It’ll keep people from going locally to try to hook up with West St.” Secondly, after exit 2, the F.D.R. will be two moving lanes instead of three, said Carmona. Vehicles will then have to cross only one of lane of traffic to merge instead of two, he said. The next part is that the D.O.T. will reduce the speed limit from 40 m.p.h. to 30 on the F.D.R. south of exit 2. The committee’s chairperson, Ro Sheffe, said he liked the improvements around exit 2, but had concerns about enforcing the reduced speed limit. “Given the way people drive on the F.D.R. there’s going to have to be fairly strenuous enforcement of those new speed limits,” said Sheffe. “Typically people are going 60 miles per hour.” The last element of the plan will be to improve curbside parking regulations along that stretch of South St. Carmona explained that there will no longer by parking available 35 feet to the south of 125 Broad St. and 40 feet to the north. The signage has yet to be determined but it will probably be no standing during daytime hours. D.O.T.’s Lower Manhattan Borough C ommissioner Luis Sanchez said the changes should improve traffic circulation. The work, which will take less than a month, is scheduled for June. Sanchez said that it involved striping the road, removing barriers and signage work.

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844-MY-SAUCE

Downtown Express photos by Dusica Sue Malesevic

The Department of Transportation has a plan to improve traffic circulation in Lower Manhattan and make the area near Broad and South Sts. safer for pedestrians.

April 9-April 22, 2015

DowntownExpress.com

April 9-April 22, 2015

Hotel’s mysterious clock feature sets off alarms

Ye Ole Village Fair Hosted by the Bedford, Barrow, Commerce Street Block Association In its 42nd year. Live bands, beautiful American Handmade crafts & art, Food Court, plenty of outdoor seating.

Saturday, May 16th starting at 11 a.m. Rain or Shine (unless it’s pouring) Located at the cross of Commerce, Bedford and Barrow Streets between Seventh Avenue South and Hudson Street Sponsored in part by Sotheby’s International Realty 1/2 proceeds used for planting and maintaining trees & tree pits 1/2 proceeds donated to neighborhood charities

BY JANEL BLADOW More people out and about in the neighborhood as we spring into warmer weather! Yippee!

S.O.S. MEETING…

Mike Weiss who is the waterfront foreman of the South Street Seaport Museum will be guest speaker at the next meeting of Save Our Seaport on Thursday, April 16, 6:30 p.m. Come to St. Margaret’s House Library, 49 Fulton St., to hear him discuss the museum’s presence, its plans and how you can be an active part of the South Street Seaport Historic District.

CALLING ALL LITTLE HANDS…

And speaking of the Seaport Museum, its popular Mini Mates program has expanded to two classes instead of one, due to popular demand. The fun hands-on program for children 18 months to 4-year-olds (accompanied by a parent or caregiver) will be the same on both Thursdays and Fridays, April 16 through June 5. The fun involves playtime, music, learning activities, art projects, reading and snacks with themes from changing seasons to celebrating holidays. Classes are from 10 to 11:15 am at 12 Fulton St. and cost $200. Registration is required either by email education@ seany.org or phone 212 748-8753.

POETRY AND NEEDLES…

The Hotel Indigo at 8-12 Maiden Lane plans to turn its lights on and off based on the time of day.

aid

Save the Date for the best street fair in all of New York City

to the press release. Yu said that construction was supposed to kick off in mid-April, but will likely be pushed back. The hotel is expected to open at the end of 2017. During the meeting, some residents interjected their opinions, some were glad for the hotel addition while others were not — but no one was pleased with more construction or the illumination, with one neighbor calling it obnoxious. “There is something to be said for how we’ve been just pummeled with 10 years of construction,” said Carla Sinatra, who lives in a building across from the proposed hotel. Yu said that the design nods to Maiden Lane’s history of being a jewelry district with watchmakers in the late 19th, early 20th centuries. The lower floors will be limestone to make sure that the building integrates into the neighborhood, said Yu. It is unclear who actually owns the hotel. During his presentation, Yu used the term “ownership” but not did specify whom. He said the ownership brought the site in 2013 and then entered into a franchise agreement with the InterContinental Hotel Group in 2014. Several outlets reported that 10-12 MLANE L.L.C. brought the buildings that will be turned into the new hotel. A look at New York State Department of State, division of corporations, database shows that 10-12 MLANE filed for incorporation in July 2013 and is located in Flushing, Queens but no executive officers or owners are listed. Another possible concern, said Ro Sheffe, the committee’s chairperson, is the operating hours of the proposed rooftop bar as there are residents above and adjacent to its level. Sheffe also noted how construction of the Marriott, which recently opened and is on Broadway near Maiden Lane, narrowed the street for more than a year. Hughes said that the building is as-of-right, meaning that the developer does not need to come before the board for any approvals. She asked that Yu come back to next month’s meeting.

Yu said he had met with the interior designers and there was no mention of the lighting plan, but did specify which firm. Gene Kaufman Architect designed the interior and exterior of the hotel. Downtown Express subsequently asked LAK Public Relations, which represents Kaufman, how the illumination would work: after one floor was lit, would it remain so or was only one floor going to be lit at a time until midnight — and was told that the final design is still being developed. “The hotel will have dozens of its own windows facing the clock, and much closer to it than any neighbor,” Kaufman wrote in an email statement. “We are certainly not intending to make something too bright.” Kaufman is a frequent architect for Sam Chang, founder of the McSam Hotel Group, which has built several hotels in Lower Manhattan and has raised community ire before. In August 2013, a pipe that fell from a construction site of one of their ventures, the Holiday Inn at 99 Washington St. Hotel Indigo will have 190 rooms, a restaurant on the ground floor and a rooftop bar, according

Br oa

B Y DUSICA SU E M A L E SE V IC A new Financial District hotel has plans to use its top floors as an illuminated watch as a floor will be lit every hour — and nearby residents are not happy. The 24-story Hotel Indigo at 8-12 Maiden Lane, between Broadway and Liberty Sts., will have its top 12 floors light up every hour until midnight, when the entire 240-foot upper section “is sheathed in light, which is then extinguished as the process begins anew,” according to the hotel’s press release. This element was featured in several news outlets last October. Oddly, one person who said he was not familiar with the illumination plan was Alex Yu, the lawyer representing W&L Group Construction, who was presenting to Community Board 1’s Financial District Committee at their Wed., Apr. 1 meeting. Community Board 1 Chairperson Catherine McVay Hughes read to Yu some of a Real Estate Weekly article describing lighting the upper portion of the hotel. “That was not communicated to you? ” Hughes asked. “It was not,” said Yu, who asked that the article be forwarded to him.

For more Tribeca Film Festival reviews, visit: Downtownexpress.com IN PRINT OR ONLINE

149 Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor New York, NY 10010 212.431.2440

April 9-April 22, 2015

W W W. D O W N T O W N E X P R E S S . C O M

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Here’s a different way to celebrate April, which is National Poetry Month. Head over to City Acupuncture, 139 Fulton St. and bring a poem – your favorite or even a limerick! With poem in hand, returning customers will get 5 percent off any service or product. New customers can really score – redeem a poem for their choice of a $19 acupuncture session or a $49 acupuncture-massage combo. City Acupunture also plans a wine-cheese-poetry party on April 30. Get the details on Twitter. Make your suggestions of local poets to read at the event, #cityacupoetry. Music to cure all ills… Prefer tunes? Support our local Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra and celebrate spring with their fundraiser, “Music of the Gilded Age,” on Monday, April 20, 6-8 p.m. — sure to be a glittering evening for a number of reasons. First, it’s being held at the newly-renovated Pier A Harbor House, 22 Battery Place. Opened first in 1886 during the DowntownExpress.com

Gilded Age, the 28,000-square foot space is on the National Register of Historic Places and served as the city’s V.I.P. entrance for visiting ambassadors and dignitaries. Languishing vacant until was restored and opened last year it’s now a fabulous, sophisticated dining spot. And adding to the gilt and glamour will be the golden voice of soprano Marcy Richardson. She recently performed as soloist in Handel’s “Samson” with the American Classical Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. She, the K.C.O. musicians and Knickerbocker music director Gary S. Fagin will regale the champagne-sipping audience with the rousing melodies of the turn of the 19th century: “After The Ball,” “Ta-ra-ra Boom-deay,” and “A Bird in a Gilded Cage.” For more details, prices and reservations, go to www.knickerbocker-orchestra.org.

SEAPORT SLURPS…

As hipsters and East Villagers caught the whole sipping craze with the broth bug, the Seaport jumped the shark with the first ever bone broth event. The Broth Fest last month brought a bunch of bone broth-ers together in the inflatable Sugarcube! There fans of meat juice sipped shots from places like Katz’s Deli, Baz Bagel and Caracas Arepas Bar. Slurpers spent an hour and a half and $33 a person sampling and listening to a DJ. Okay…

PASSING OF THE GUARD…

It’s devastating to see your pet die but just as heart wrenching to report the death of a friend and neighbor’s beloved best friend. One of the neighborhood’s longest (not only in longevity but also in length) residents sadly passed away on Monday, March 30. Clancy, a 15-year -old Basset hound, slipped away in the loving arms of his mom Linda Cozzolino at their Pearl St. home. Friends, neighbors and tourists all enjoyed his crazy antics, but it was his costumes that brought out the biggest smiles. Whatever the occasion, Clancy had a hat for it. And unlike most dogs, he would proudly sit for a photo or strut through the Seaport sporting his finery. Whether he was dressed for Santa or St. Patrick, he gave you this dogeye look that said “Don’t say a word. I know I look good.” Over the last few months, Clancy

Clancy, the Seaport’s beloved Basset hound, who delighted neighbors and tourists alike with his costumes and antics.

was having trouble walking and spent most of his time home, checking out the younger ones at the FishBridge Dog Run or making his way slowly along Peck Slip. One of his last photos was taken as he sniffed out the ice fort igloo

on Beekman St. As Clancy took his last breath, he raised his big brown eyes to the sky. We’re all hoping he was seeing his loving dad Bill and brother Frosty stretching out a hand and paw to bring him to his everlasting home.

ATTENTION: Commercial Property Owners, Commercial Tenants and Residents of Lower Manhattan

The Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc. invites you to join us for our

2015 ANNUAL MEETING Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 4 P.M. One Liberty Plaza, 39 th Floor

(Picture IDs are necessary to enter building)

The meeting is open to the public and all registered members are eligible to vote. 120 Broadway, Suite 3340 New York, NY 10271 (212) 566-6700 www.DowntownNY.com

April 9-April 22, 2015

Big Sandy bucks for housing projects: $3 billion BY JOSH ROGERS

Downtown Express photos by Dusica Sue Malesevic

Nine Lower East Side public housing complexes will be able to tap into a $3 billion federal fund to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week in Red Hook. The nine are part of 33 NYCHA projects around the city that will receive the Federal Emergency Management Agency money from to repair and protect places damaged three years ago. At the March 31 announcement, the mayor and Schumer said it was the largest single grant FEMA has ever made. In Downtown Manhattan, the New York City Housing Authority houses that will get money are Smith, LaGuardia, Two Bridges, Baruch, Wald, Riis 1 & 2, and Campos 1 & 2. “I know we have to protect our boilers because we had no water during Sandy,” said Aixa Torres, tenant leader at Smith Houses next to the Brooklyn Bridge. “I am very happy about the 3 billion,” Torres said last week. “I’m sure there’ll be another Sandy with this crazy weather…. “I think for too long the federal government has ignored public housing in general. We’re taxpayers like everyone else. “ Underscoring that last point, NYCHA estimates that there is an additional $18 billion shortfall citywide on needed repairs at over 300 developments. It’s not yet known how much money each housing project will get, but the average is just over $90 million.

Downtown Express file photo by Sam Spokony.

Residents of Smith Houses carrying supplies after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Torres said all of the needed repairs at Smith will cost $623 million, but some of that is not connected to Sandy damage. Smith needs backup generators and protection for its boilers, two projects eligible for the FEMA funds. Torres said the water tank was first damaged by an earthquake then by Hurricane Irene in 2011, which did not hit New York City particularly hard, and then by Sandy. She and most residents had no power or water for a week. She said only half of Smith’s leaky roofs have been repaired and the elevators also need replacing. About half of the FEMA money will be for repairs,

and the rest will be for flood protection measures, which is especially important for Smith, LaGuardia and Two Bridges. All three have been cut out of the first phase of the “Big U,” another federally-funded project that aims to build a U-shaped ring of protective berms around the southern half of Manhattan. The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development has pegged $335 million to build at least part of the first section on the East Side from Montgomery St. up to 23rd St. In a press release last week, Schumer said “For thousands of hard-working New York families and seniors in some 200 NYCHA buildings from Red Hook to Coney Island to the Lower East to the Rockaways who were displaced and devastated by Superstorm Sandy, this massive and historic federal investment … will both restore decent living conditions to their buildings and fortify them against future storms and disasters.” Joining the release from the mayor were a long list of politicians including on the local level, U.S. Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Carolyn Maloney, Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilmember Margaret Chin. Chin said the money “represents a huge step toward improving the lives of thousands of Lower East Side NYCHA residents who are still struggling with post-Sandy damage and the fear of being left unprotected,” and means that “we can get much closer to truly protecting those public housing residents for generations to come.”

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Shops Open After a $330 million renovation that took almost for years, Brookfield Place is now — mostly — open. There are few store stragglers, such as Vilebrequin and Calypso, and the garden district of marketplace Le District is still verboten, but a plethora of high-end retail and French goodies and fare awaits Battery Park City residents and workers inside the complex formerly known as the World Financial Center. Most everyone Downtown Express runs into says that it “great” and they are excited about the new offerings.

IT’S PROM SEASON, and Trinity is collecting formal wear for this year’s Prom Mania! Please consider donating the following items (new or gently used) for local teens who otherwise might not attend their prom. • • • • •

Formal dresses in all sizes Suits and dress shirts in all sizes Jewelry New dress shoes Other accessories

an Episcopal parish in the city of New York

April 9-April 22, 2015

DowntownExpress.com

DONATIONS MAY BE DROPPED OFF AT: The Parish Center, 2 Rector Street Weekdays 12—5pm; Sundays 8am—4pm Trinity Church, Broadway at Wall Street Weekdays 8am—4pm; Saturdays 8am—4pm; Sundays 7am—4pm UFT (United Federation of Teachers) Offices, 50 Broadway and 52 Broadway, Weekdays 8am—7pm Note: Donations to UFT Offices must be in plastic bags. Trinity Wall Street’s offices, appointment only. Please email allourchildren@trinitywallstreet.org.

trinitywallstreet.org/prom

The last day for donating items is Thursday, April 23.

April 9-April 22, 2015

TRANSIT SAM Thurs., April 9 – Wed.April 15 ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING WILL BE SUSPENDED THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY Orthodox holy week, and end of Passover parking break ahead! Get a good parking spot on Wed., April 8 and you won’t have to move your car for alternate side parking until Mon., April 13. More good news: New York City public schools don’t get back from spring break until Monday, which means no school buses and a respite for parents and commuters alike in the morning. The Tribeca Film Festival is back (coverage starts on p.24) The festival kicks off Wednesday, and while the real action doesn’t heat up until later in the week, stars, cinephiles, and paparazzi alike will be flocking to the festival and slowing down traffic. Drivers should steer clear of Greenwich St. between Chambers and Hubert Sts. and Harrison

St. between West and Hudson Sts. For Wednesday’s opening night festivities, Lower Manhattan hot spots to watch out for include theaters on North End Ave. between Vesey and Murray Sts., Chambers St. between West and Greenwich Sts., and Vesey St. between Liberty and West Sts. Coming home late won’t be easy for Lower Manhattanites on Thursday. In the Lincoln Tunnel, the New York-bound south tube will close 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday. This closure will send inbound traffic south to the Holland Tunnel, where one New York-bound and one New Jersey-bound lane will be closed during the same time. Over on the East River, all Manhattanbound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge will close 11 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday, and midnight Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Wednesday nights. As a result, expect extra traffic on the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, and on Canal

and Delancey Sts. The 25th Anniversary of Tribeca Grill celebration will close Franklin St. between Greenwich and Hudson Sts. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On West St./Route 9A, one southbound lane will close in each direction between West Thames and Vesey Sts. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The Stone St. Pedestrian Mall

will close Stone St. between Broad St. and Hanover Sq., and Mill Ln. between S. William and Stone Sts. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day this week.

Email your traffic, transit and parking questions to transitsam@ DowntownExpress.com. Follow me @ GridlockSam, and check GridlockSam. com for more traffic updates.

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April 9-April 22, 2015

300 Jay Street • Brooklyn, NY 11201

718.260.5500 DowntownExpress.com

Downtown Express photo by Bob Krasner

Lulu, who was saved.

Out of 2nd Ave.’s tragic rubble, a happy cat tale BY YVONNE COLLERY

WELCOME TO THE LARGEST PUBLIC COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE NORTHEAST

MAY 28

Downtown Express photo by Lincoln Anderson

The body of Nicholas Figueroa, 23, was found in the debris at E. Seventh St. and Second Ave. March 29, three days after a gas explosion. He and Moises Lucon, 26, were killed.

Do miracles come in clumps, like M15 buses? They do. After the remarkable return of Laszlo — my cat who was missing after the fatal Second Ave. gas explosion March 26 — I was still praying for a second miracle, as I couldn’t stop thinking about Lulu and the terror that she must be living through. As of April 1, a full week had gone by since the fire, and I knew that even if Lulu were somewhere inside my apartment at 125 Second Ave., time was running out. Lulu is a tiny cat and she was already a full week without food or water. Most of my neighbors in my building got the go-ahead to go back into their apartments last Wednesday for the first time. My neighbor Bob called me at 2:20 p.m. and told me that we could go into our apartments and stay until 3 p.m. I was only a block away, and I eagerly scampered to the corner of St. Mark’s Place and Second Ave. where Office of Emergency Management personnel would take me to my building. I showed my ID but someone from the city Office of Emergency Management informed me that my apartment was not on the list since it was still too unsafe to enter. O.E.M. informed me that it would probably be several more days at least until my apartment would be on the safe list. I was as frantic as a mother cat — I needed to get into my apartment if I had any hope of ever seeing my Lulu again. I knew that she was in a desperate situaDowntownExpress.com

tion and that time was running out. I had Fire Chief Quinn’s number and I sent him a text. “The police and the OEM won’t let me into my apartment,” I said. “Can you help me?” Only a few minutes went by before I received a return text: “Let me do some investigating.” Five minutes later I got another text: “Can you meet me on the corner of St. Marks and Second at five? “Sure,” I texted back. At five o’clock on the nose I saw Captain Quinn waiting on my corner. He opened the police barricade where I was not let in before. “Follow me,” he said. We entered my building, now both familiar and unfamiliar as the halls were covered in soot and filled with broken glass. The formerly rather dark halls were now flooded with sunlight, since no buildings were left standing beside it. As we negotiated the rubble-strewn stairs, Captain Quinn asked, “Are you sure you are prepared for this? It will be a shock. Are you sure you want to go in?” “I was actually prepared for this,” I replied, sweeping my hand toward the ruins of demolished buildings seen out of the stairwell window. “And besides, I have to find my cat.” I could see an odd look creep across his face as he said, “The guys have looked all over for your cat these past two days.” His look warned me that I would be sorely disappointed. As we entered my apartment, I tried

hard not to look as stunned as I felt. It seemed as though my legs would go out from under me at any second or that I would vomit. It was awful. I saw that there were two cat traps set out in two different rooms. They were both empty. I also noticed that things had been taken out of closets and storage areas, so that one could see that no cat was there. I started calling “Lulu! Lulu! Lulu! Lulu!” to no avail. Captain Quinn and the commander watched me as I went from room to room. I had a sinking, sickening feeling in my gut as I fruitlessly looked for Lulu. I went into the last room, my studio, and

saw that the ceiling had fallen in, leaving water and wet plaster covering everything. I remembered one remote hiding place between a work desk and a filing cabinet. I got down on my hands and knees and crawled over the wet filth and stuck my head into the soaked tiny space. No Lulu. Feeling utterly hopeless and dejected, I returned to my bedroom where I saw all the knocked-out windows stacked against my bureau. Since Lulu is so tiny, she was always able to get into the drawContinued on page 19

Downtown Express photo by J.B. Nicholas

The devastated block. April 9-April 22, 2015

Pouring sake on the side? Chelsea board says no BY WI NNI E M CCROY Residents of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen gathered at Roosevelt Hospital on the evening of April 1 for the monthly full board meeting of Community Board 4 where among other things, they debated the application to the State Liquor Authority for a beer and wine license by Ichiran, a new restaurant to open mid-block on W. 20th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves. “We are opposed to Ichiran, because of the board’s own policy regarding alcohol-serving establishments on side streets and all the problems that go along with that,” said William Borock, president of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations. “We don’t want C.B. 4 to approve this with stipulations, because the neighbors will suffer from all kinds of quality of life issues. We saw the family fondue restaurant, The Ainsworth, change into a sports bar, and we can see that Ichiran will want

Downtown Express photos by Tequila Minsky

to change after they’re approved. impact on my business to have trash After agreeing to close at 10:30 p.m. around, and have children not be able they came back later and tried to to get down the sidewalk.” Michael Walsh said residents change it to 12 a.m. They want of his building were opposed to serve hard liquor, and they to the business opening up already serve shōchū, which U ARO ND next door to them, noting is 30 percent alcohol… We the early controversy over ask that you don’t take the their desired 4 a.m. closing lesser of two evils, but that time. you vote ‘no.’” “Ichiran is welcome, but they Borock was one of a are better off on the avenue, where half-dozen community members who spoke passionately against grant- they can stay open late,” said Walsh. C.B. 4 members discussed the ing a beer and wine license to the Japanese chain ramen restaurant that contentious issue at length, with the has already obtained a lease at 123 W. majority of members agreeing that 20th St. for their 150-seat restaurant. the mid-block location was less than “I hope that members who know ideal. Ultimately, they voted 27-6 to the importance of keeping our resi- send a “deny unless” letter to the dential streets residential will speak S.L.A., recommending a denial of the beer and wine license unless Ichiran up,” urged resident Diane Nichols. Sydney Price, owner of City maintained their 10:30 p.m. closing Treehouse (a nature-themed children’s time; kept their patrons in an indoor play center), works near the site of waiting room rather than on the the new restaurant. She asserted that street; secured garbage pickup before Ichiran “would have a huge negative 11 p.m. on weeknights and by 1 a.m.

Cats saved in fatal fire

Streit’s matzoh factory has been on the Lower East Side for 90 years, but next year it plans to make the Passover seder staple somewhere in New Jersey.

Continued from page 17

Next year in New Jersey: Streit’s last L.E.S. Passover BY TEQU I L A M I N SKY Aaron Gross is a fifth-generation member of the Streit’s matzoh family. His great-great-grandfather Aron was the company’s founder. Today, Gross runs Streit’s with his cousins Alan Adler and Aron Pagoda. Eleven family members are in the business, and they all get along. “We are not the Durst family,” Gross quipped. Four old build-

ings on Rivington St. currently home to New Jersey. The exUND O house the factory, where it act new location hasn’t been R A has been since 1925. Howevannounced yet. They will be er, the buildings’ age makes baking on the Lower East them hard to modernize to Side through the summer, increase the place’s inefficienthough. “We want to have cy. Plus, there is simply the high sufficient inventory to make cost of doing business in Manhatthe transition seamless,” Gross tan. As a result, Streit’s will soon relo- said. Fifty percent of their sales take cate from its longtime Lower East Side place for Passover. The factory employs

on Saturdays; and that they declined to serve the stronger sake and shōchū beverages, which are permitted under the beer and wine license. “This is truly a classic rock and a hard place situation,” said C.B. 4’s Lisa Daglian. “It’s clearly not the best place for this, but the bottom line is that we’re stuck. It’s best to have some control over this. So now we just have to make sure they do what they say they would.” An S.L.A. approval recommendation letter was sent to the adult entertainment club Esquire on 622 W. 47th St. Although C.B. 4 member Martin Treat exclaimed, “It looks like a whorehouse to me,” member Paul Seres spoke of a long and positive history with these responsible business owners, noting that the club “was good for this dark and dank block. “They are good operators. They don’t want to draw any negative attention from the police and so they keep their patrons in line,” said Seres.

ers through a small space in the back of the bureau. I pulled all the windows toward me and quickly opened a drawer. As I was opening it, I saw Lulu looking up at me with her intense green eyes as if she were asking, “Where were you?” I just as quickly shut the drawer and excitedly squealed, “I found her! I found her!” Unbelieving, both Captain Quinn and the commander both said almost simultaneously, “No way! No way!” I was so scared that Lulu would just

40. Some workers will be retiring, while some are still deciding whether they will make the commute and follow the business to Jersey. Jennifer Karan, who lives on Grand St. by the F.D.R. Drive, stopped in to Streit’s the other week to load up on matzoh, macaroons and other items for Passover. “This is an institution in the neighborhood,” she said. “I feel terrible that they’re leaving.”

slither out the back of the drawer and slink off to another hiding spot, as I shouted excitedly, “Go get the cat carrier, it is on the top shelf of the closet in the back room!” Captain Quinn ran and got the carrier and put it on the table. I quickly opened the drawer and pulled Lulu out in one firm, quick movement. It took all three of us to put her in the carrier and zip her in. Thanks to the F.D.N.Y. and the Kindness of the Universe, I have my two cats back. The black cloud that has been the last two weeks is gently lifting. Spring is in the air and all things new are eagerly awaited.

Downtown Express photo by Bob Krasner

Yvonne Collery with Laszlo, Lulu’s sister, who firefighters found hiding in a closet four days after the March 26 explosion.

April 9-April 22, 2015

DowntownExpress.com

April 9-April 22, 2015

Students wonder whats next for ‘#BlackLivesMatter’? PUBLISHER

Jennifer Goodstein EDITOR

Josh Rogers REPORTER

Dusica Sue Malesevic ARTS EDITOR

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Jack Agliata Allison Greaker Jennifer Holland Jim Steele Julio Tumbaco ART DIRECTOR

Michael Shirey GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

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John W. Sutter

Downtown Express photo by Tequila Minsky

Tribeca & Chick-fil-A company also funded many anti-gay organizations, but soon after the uproar, the chain said it was getting out of politics. It’s not clear if either side took them at their word since some right wing politicians contin-

ued to flock to eat their chicken sandwiches, and boycott talk never fully died. The company filmed a commercial this week, presumably to promote its first N.Y.C. store coming to Midtown.

“Hope Spreads To Bring Trader Joe’s To New Chase Plaza” (POSTED, Apr 3):

“Woman Killed In Accident Wasn’t Taken To Closest E.R.” (POSTED, Mar 26)

Please please please we want a Trader Joe’s here!!!

Why doesn’t C.B. 2 call on the mayor and elected officials to begin the process of finding a place to locate a HOSPITAL with an appropriate ER that could eventually transition to a Trauma Center to serve lower Manhattan and the West side??? The nearest Level 1 Trauma Center (since the closure of St. Vincent’s) to all of lower Manhattan is Bellevue. The nearest Level 1 Trauma Center on the West side is at 110th Street and Amsterdam, St. Luke’s/Roosevelt. It is an outrageous situation that puts millions of New Yorkers at risk, every single day. Most people do not know that all hospitals, and all ERs are not created equal.

Many serious injuries, brain injury, gun shot wounds, motor vehicle accidents, to name a few, typically need to be treated at Level 1 Trauma Center. People should be truly outraged. Instead, many, including our elected officials seem to accept that a large percentage of Manhattanites will need to make it through traffic to Bellevue for life-saving services.

Signs were clear in Tribeca that Chick-fil-A has not quelled the controversy it started back in 2012 when one of the fast food chain’s top executives made statements opposing same sex marriage. The PUBLISHED BY NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC ONE METROTECH CENTER NEW YORK, NY 11201 PHONE: (212) 229-1890 FAX: (212) 229-2790 WWW.DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.COM NEWS@DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.COM Downtown Express is published every week by NYC Community Media LLC, One Metrotech Center North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201 (212) 229-1890. The entire contents of the newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2015 Community Media LLC. PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

Member of the New York Press Association Member of the National Newspaper Association

April 9-April 22, 2015

Posted To

Zette Emmons “UnderCover March 26 – April 8, 2015: Chin, Seaport & Jon Stewart” (POSTED, Mar 26) Good for you, pointing out Chin’s ambivalent language! This is how she spoke regarding the NYU boondoggle, before selling the community down the river. Expect the same here. Betty Rafferty

jmhnyc “ON THE SPOT: Signe Nielsen” (POSTED, Mar 26) nice job Signe. Thanks for your great work all these years in the neighborhood.

BY ZACH WI LLI AM S Hundreds of students at Bard High School Early College discussed and confronted issues of race at a teach-in organized by students inspired by the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter movement. The event did not only concern issues of police-community relations, though, but also a range of topics, including social bias, the role of art in activism and ongoing challenges to making society more equitable. The idea at the March 18 event was to channel the energy from the movement from the preceding months into a welcoming space at the high school, at E. Houston and Mangin Sts. near the F.D.R. Drive. But what began in December as an effort to quickly organize a teach-in about police brutality evolved into something much more robust, according to student-activists. “It’s different than what we were originally thinking about, but I think it’s amazing,” said senior Mojique Tyler, who was an organizer of the event at the roughly 600-student school. Back in December, Principal Michael Lerner told the event’s organizers that they would need to take their time to organize a teach-in. They also needed support from faculty as well as the student union in order to broaden the event’s scope beyond issues directly linked to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island at the hands of police. Teacher Meghann Walk — a seasoned activist herself — became the student organizers’ faculty adviser. “They had to make this transition from being an activist out there to being political in here, which means working with other students who have different ideas,” Walk said. Students also had to confront the

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Downtown Express Photo by Zach Williams

At a teach-in last month, Bard students participated in a “Rap Music and Politics” discussion session on March 18.

notion that, for many of them, organizing is not the most inspiring element of engineering social change but necessary nonetheless, said Walk. She taught one student, for example, how to use software to assign hundreds of students to the teach-in’s 29 scheduled discussion sessions rather than doing so manually. And serving food at the event would not only assuage hunger, she explained to the students, but also create an additional forum for community-building among them. At the same time, she said, there were concerns among some faculty members, at first, that an event focused on race could be divisive. Other faculty members coached about 60 student moderators, as well as other teachers, on how to negotiate discussions of race in a positive manner, Walk noted. Guidance staff offered perspective on how to spur ongoing conversations beyond just one day, she added. By the time March 18 came, the event was ready to reflect the underlying mission of the school itself, according to Walk. “We’re not just a high school,” she explained. “We’re a high school-early college, and that takes seriously that you don’t just discuss ideas, you don’t just learn about history: You make history by yourselves being engaged with the world.” The keynote speaker was Ibrahim

Abdul-Matin, an intellectual whose focus is Islam’s role in environmentalism, who now works for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. He roused the students with a speech emphasizing the importance of team building while pursuing social change. Abdul-Matin’s words resonated with activists eager to expand their advocacy beyond marches on city streets, students said later. Following his address, students then participated in more than two dozen discussion sessions, such as “SelfSegregation,” “Burn Baby Burn: Property Destruction & Protest” and “Once You Go Black: Exploring America’s Fetishization of Black Sexuality.” The event fit into the academic schedule as “Community Day,” an annual event at the school, which in previous years focused on other issues, Lerner said. Passion remained high among students at the end of the day when they assembled for a final discussion of the event. Some students reflected on the new lines of communication created by the event, while others stressed that more needs to be done within the school to deconstruct barriers between students of different backgrounds. What remained the same after the event, though, is the level of engagement among students at the school, with an ongoing national debate on the role of

racism in American society. This month, Bard students planned once again to take to the streets — just as they did almost four months ago, when grand juries in Missouri and New York City announced that the police officers who killed Brown and Garner would not face charges. (In January, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation yielded insufficient evidence to support criminal charges against the officer who fatally shot Brown.) Lerner said that activism is nothing new at the school. Yet he could not recall another time in his 13 years at Bard when passions ran as high as they do now. Fully fledged discussions on racial issues require patience, as much in the long term, as they did during the discussion sessions, according to the student-activists. But just as important, Tyler said, the right kind of space is needed in which these issues can be worked through, as well as a sense that all viewpoints are welcome. Along with another student, he co-moderated a workshop, “Black Until Proven Innocent: Police Brutality in America.” “The first five minutes were slightly quiet,” Tyler said. “People were processing a lot and it was nerve-wracking. But after that, people really opened up... . It’s not just people at the front of the room talking.” April 9-April 22, 2015

Howl! gallery will blend punk and performance art

Activities THURSDAY, APRIL 9–WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 LONG-RUNNING EXHIBITION: PIXELATED, SUM OF ITS PIECES Children’s Museum of the Arts, 103 Charlton St. at Hudson Street; (212) 274–0986; cmany.org; Mondays and Wednesdays, Noon–5 pm, Thursdays and Fridays, Noon–6 pm, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am–5 pm, Now – Sun, May 3; Free with $11 museum admission. This exhibition brings together emerging and mid-career artists whose work explores different means of perception and brings together visual artists whose works explore the intersection between art and technology.

YOUTH WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL Chelsea Recreation Center, 430 W. 25th St. at Tenth Avenue; (212) 255–3705; Sundays, 11 am–1 pm, Now – Sun, April 26; Free with NYC center membership. Sport program for children 6 to 21 years old with physical disabilities. Learn to play wheelchair basketball with the New York Rollin’ Fury, sportchairs are available if needed. JAZZ FOR KIDS: Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th St. at Park Avenue South; (212) 576–2232; www.jazzstandard.com; Sundays, 2–3 pm, Now – Sun, May 17; Free, guests may give a $5 donation that benefits the Jazz

Standard Discovery Program. The talented children’s musicians of the The Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra perform every Sunday (except for 12/21, 12/28 and 2/1).

Donations accepted. Holocaust Remembrance Day - come to the museum to remember those who were lost and learn from those who survived. Open to all .

STORYTIME Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place at First Place; (646) 437–4202; mjhnyc.org; Wednesday, April 15, 3:30 pm; Wednesday, May 6, 3:30 pm; Wednesday, May 20, 3:30 pm; Free. Drop-in program warm, whimsical tales about traditions, holidays, and families from some of today’s best storybooks for children ages 0-4.

BILINGUAL STORY TIME Battery Park City Library, 175 North End Avenue; (212) 790–3499; nypl.org; 4 pm; Free. Enjoy the classic stories, songs and rhymes in French and English. All ages.

FRI, APRIL 10 FAMILY FRIDAYS National Museum of Mathematics, 11 East 26th St. at Madison Square Park;momath.org; 6:30 pm; Free. Math runes art with functions is the topic, artist Mike Naylor returns to share the app he designed. Registration required.

SUN, APRIL 12 SO PERCUSSION Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement, The Playhouse, 466 Grand St. at Pitt Street; (212) 598– 0400; carnegiehall.org/For_Families; 3 pm; Free. The concert is part of the Neighborhood Concert series presented by Carnegie Hall Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement, The Playhouse 466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street) | Manhattan.

WED, APRIL 15 “FACE THE MUSIC” The Players, 115 MacDougal Street; (212) 475– 1449; kaufmanmusiccenter.org; 7 pm; Free. Kaufman’s Music center presents the youth ensemble.

THURS, APRIL 16 YOM HASHOAH Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place at First Place; (646) 437–4202; mjhnyc.org; 10:30 am;

April 9-April 22, 2015

SAT, APRIL 18 BALLET HISPANICO The Joyce Theatre, 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th Street; (212) 242–0800; joyce.org; 2 pm; $25. Excerpts from Asuka, Carmen.maquia, Sombrerisimo, El Beso provide a 90 minute fun filled journey through Latin American dance. “VIVA PINOCHO!” Teatro Sea, 107 Suffolk St.; (212) 259–1545; sea-online.info/calendar; 3 pm; call for tickets. New production re-telling the classic folktale of Pinocchio from the perspective of a young Mexican immigrant.

SUN, APRIL 19 BABY LOVES DISCO Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St.; babylovesdisco.com; Noon–3 pm; $20. The original family dance party - Boogie woogie with some great partners: The Jewish Museum, Inquisitive Learning Tools, Happy Family snacks, Urban Sitter painting faces, Steve and Kate’s camps with some amazing make your own video activities, Mom.me with the beloved balloons and more. Yummy snacks and juice as always and the beloved cash bar for non drinking moms and dads.

WED, APRIL 22 SCIENCE TIME: Battery Park City Library, 175 North End Avenue; (212) 790– 3499; nypl.org; 4 pm; Free. Bring the whole family to create a tiny parachute to take home and learn why the parachute slows down our descent as we are falling. DowntownExpress.com

BY TI NA BENI TEZ- EVES Sandwiched between Extra Place — where bands once unloaded equipment through CBGB’s back-alley door — and the Bowery, a new art space, Howl! Happening, is supporting emerging artists and salvaging some of that old-school, East Village sense of community. Conceived by Howl! Arts, a nonprofit supporting local art and artists, the gallery, at 6 E. First St., officially opened March 29, showcasing former Bowery resident — and designated the Fifth Ramone — Arturo Vega. “It wouldn’t be a gallery without Arturo,” said Ted Riederer, Vega’s longtime friend and collaborator and visual curator for Howl! Happening. “Not only did he provide a safe harbor to The Ramones, but he helped artists like me. He fostered this sense of family in the community.” “Arturo Vega American Treasure,” which runs through April 25, features one of the artist’s paintings depicting an outstretched hand holding a 1972 silver dollar. Like many of Vega’s pieces, the American eagle held a different meaning for the artist, who moved from a repressive Mexico to the U.S. in 1971. It was the Vietnam War era, a time when many Americans questioned their patriotism, but for Vega, the symbol encapsulated freedom. In the East Village, he found a place where there was open sexuality, where you could be who you wanted to be and dress the way you wanted to dress. Vega later designed one of the most recognizable band logos: the blackand-white Ramones’ eagle emblem. “Arturo Vega is a catalyst,” said Bob Holman, vice president of Howl! Arts and founder of the Bowery Poetry Club. “He’s an icon of what Howl! is about, an artist who was, in his own right, known more for his work with The Ramones — who, in their own right, are the essence of punk and the essence of the Lower East Side. Vega being their biggest support system is like how Howl! is the biggest support system for the Lower East Side.” The gallery is more than 1,500 square feet in size. Holman’s late wife, artist Elizabeth Murray, has a wall dedicated to her paintings and sculpture (which will be an ongoing installment throughout the year), which premieres with “Stay Awake,” inspired by the song by Dumbo’s mother in the animated classic. Murray’s piece complements what Riederer believes is the underlying message behind Vega’s work, particularly in the last decade of his life: love. “I was tired of the state of commercial art where this has been declared the age of the art fair, and galleries are forced to sell, which really pollutes the art itself,” Riederer said. “This project is really about love. I know that’s sort of a sentimental word, but how many people are talking about that — love —now?” In addition to the Elizabeth Murray Wall, Howl! Happening will also introduce some never-before-seen works by Vega every 15 to 16 months, pulling from the artDowntownExpress.com

Photo by Tequila Minsky

Bob Holman — here being the high-energy emcee of the Second Annual Acker Awards for avant-garde artists — has high hopes for Howl! Happenings.

One of the late Arturo Vega’s paintings from his “American Treasure” show at the new Howl! Happenings gallery. The untitled work is acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, 76 inches by 60 inches.

ist’s collection of more than 150 pieces, in addition to capturing new emerging artists throughout the year. “We want to show great art from artists who make their careers in the East Village and Lower East Side,” said Jane Friedman, a member of the Howl! board of directors and executor of Vega’s estate. “That’s the Howl! mission, to give exposure to neighborhood artists.” In the spirit of Allan Kaprow’s “Hap-

penings” of the 1960s, spontaneous gatherings that opened the world of art to movement through audience participation, the Howl! Happening space will also cater to more performance art, including Vangeline Theatre, a Japanese Butoh dance company, bringing the traditional dance form to the 21st century, running from April 30 to May 3. “It blurred the line between art and viewer,” said Friedman of Kaprow’s “Hap-

penings,” which is also what she envisions for the Howl! gallery. “Anybody could be an artist.” Also moving into the performance space, Lydia Lunch, dubbed “an everyday internal rebel in a sea of blandness” by Holman, will occupy the Howl! space, from May 9 to June 5, for “So Real It Hurts,” an installation and performance by the artist and friends. Quintan Ana Wikswo will have a book signing followed by an exhibit June 11-14. This will be followed by a show from June 19-Aug. 14 by “outlaw artist” Clayton Patterson, who is known for using a handheld video camera to capture and expose police brutality during the 1988 Tompkins Square riots. “The idea of making this idea a physical place is what is happening,” said Holman. “And using the word ‘happening,’ in the verb form as an actual place, is the approach we are taking. It’s not a static establishment.” The Howl! Emergency Life Project (H.E.L.P.), which offers artists emergency financial assistance and social-service support, is another layer to Howl!’s mission. An ongoing series of workshops at the gallery, H.E.L.P. will cover everything from how to fill out housing applications, deal with landlords, rent-regulation issues and evictions, to how to buy real estate, as well as get affordable healthcare. The program will be held through an ongoing partnership with The Actors Fund and other groups. “That’s a very important part of the mission that sets us apart from other galleries,” Riederer said. “You would never see a gallery opening doors to artists in this way.” Above all, there’s always a sense of survival, which is the East Village way and the true spirit of Howl! according to Holman. He recited the opening line of “Howl!” Allen Ginsberg’s famous 1955 poem: “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness.” The “Beat anthem” inspired the creation of the Howl! Festival back in 2003, and the same spirit embodies the new gallery space. “That’s what this Howl! Happening wants to be,” said Holman, “so that the best minds of this generation will not be destroyed by madness but find that they have a home. That’s Allen’s legacy and what he left to the Lower East Side.” Now a fancier mercantile row, Extra Place, where the other four Ramones propped themselves against a mound of garbage for a band photo, is now a neatly paved walkway. And CBGB was forced out in October 2006 and John Varvatos eventually moved in. “There’s an attempt at remembering, an attempt at continuing this vibe,” Holman said. “It doesn’t just start with punk, of course. The Bowery itself was the street of populous art. That’s why I wanted to put The Bowery Poetry Club here, and that’s why the New Museum is here. There are elements of the Bowery and its relationship with art, and Howl! Happening is one of the great signs that even in 2015, it continues.” April 9-April 22, 2015

66th Annual George Polk Awards in Journalism

Tribeca Film Festival stresses quality, values diversity

Female directors well-represented at Tribeca Film Fest Roster includes candid docs, narrative debuts B Y D U SIC A SU E M A L E SE VI C While Hollywood continues its trend toward a dearth of female directors, the Tribeca Film Festival has bucked it — featuring work from 30 women, in a lineup unspooling April 15–26. Cara Cusumano, senior programmer, said that the festival has always been supportive of female directors and noted that it was co-founded by a female producer, Jane Rosenthal. The influx of female directors into TFF’s upcoming fourteenth edition, she said, is part of the festival’s broader mission to promote a diversity of voices in filmmakers “and that’s across the board, in terms of ethnic diversity, very young filmmakers, female directors, folks from different parts of the world.” “It’s really interesting to us to kind of put all those voices together and see where they’re telling the same story or maybe where the stories are different,” Cusumano said in a phone interview, “and there’s an interesting conversation to be had. Female directors are not well-represented in Hollywood or in a lot of major festivals, so we felt like there was space to celebrate the work being done.” The percentage of women directors working on top-grossing films has actually declined over the last 17 years or so — from nine percent in 1998 to seven percent in 2014, Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, executive director for the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, wrote in an email to this reporter. Lauzen, a professor of television, film and new media, said that there has been no improvement in the employment of women directors on the top 250 domestic grossing films. The percentage of women directing documentary films over the last seven years has remained stable at 28 percent while the percentage of women directing independently-produced narrative features has increased slightly from 15 percent in 2008-09 to 18 percent in 2013-14, she said.

April 9-April 22, 2015

Coverage of Islamic State, Ebola, VA and Secret Service failures Recognized as Top Investigative Works Continued from page 24

screenwriter director. Brooklyn,orN.Y. (Feb. 15, 2015) – Re“We wanted to do something to comporters who risked their lives in 2014 memorate [Ephron’s] voice and her leg-the to cover the Ebola epidemic, traced the Islamic State, acy rise andofeverything she did and for revealed female secret ransoms paid for the release of voices on film,” she said. hostages are winners of Morano, Long Island Candidates include Reed a University’s 66th annual George Polk celebrated cinematographer, who makes Awards in Journalism. Additional her honorees directorial include debut with “Meadowland,” reporters who una feature that looks at how in a couple covered systemic failure two fedcopes with the theirthe son’s disappearance. eral agencies, Secret Service and theLyn Veterans well Kate Sheil, Administration, an actress who asalso as journalists who brutal co-wrote a Civil War filmexposed called “Men of also prison and jail inmates. Go treatment to Battle,” is a contender. On the Awardees will be honored at a cerinternational side, French actress-writer emony at The Roosevelt Hotel in ManHelene Zimmer directed “Being hattan on Friday, April 10. 14,” or “A 14 ans.” “The excellent work across a vaCusumano also highlighted some doc-by riety of media platforms reﬂ ected 558 nominations umentary premieres. from Ricki news Stern organiand zations, individual journalists, and Annie Sundberg will show a new piece members our advisory panel sugabout hip-hopof artist Che “Rhymefest” gests that journalists are adapting Smith and his relationship with his father well to a landscape no longer domicalled “In exclusively My Father’s by House.” nated print,” said John Abigail Disney is debuting as a direcDarnton, curator of the awards. tor with her documentary “The Armor of

Light,” which delves into the connection between gun culture and the Christian right. There is also the world premiere of “Code,” which Cusumano calledare a The George Polk Awards “timely important work from a female conferred annually to honor spedirector,” Robin Hauser Reynolds, about cial achievement in journalism. The awards place a premium investigathe paucity of women and on minorities in tive and enterprising reporting that the tech industry, specifically as software gains attention and achieves results. engineers. They were established in 1949 by Long In addition, there are strong women Island University (LIU) to commemo—rate Misty Copeland, Blige and George Polk, Mary a CBSJ. corresponRoseanne Barr — anchoring documentadent murdered in 1948 while covering ries yearcivil as subject thethis Greek war. matter, she said. Reporting by the 2014 award recipiThis reporter watched “A ents also laida blame for a deadly Courtship,” beautifully shot mudand slide in Washington State on lax envithought-provoking documentary that ronmental enforcement, sparked the explores Christian courtship through successful prosecution of a 10-year-old the Wright family.byRon and Dawn Chicago homicide authorities relucWright are raising their two daughters tant to charge its well connected pertopetrator, adhere and to connected this type the of arranged deaths of more thanwhere 300 domestic abuse victims courtship, a woman and man in South Carolina andeach 400 migrants in save their first kiss for other until Texas inadequate laws,work insufﬁ they aretowed. Ron would ascient the resources, and indifferent responses. intermediary between the two girls Garry Trudeau will be the 33rd and their of potential suitors, recipient the George Polk vetting Career them before they would meet. Award and is the ﬁrst cartoonist in The Wrights also have a spiritual

the program’s history to be so hon- president of LIU. “This year’s winners ored. He has cut political pretension are true heroes who risked their lives down to the size of his Doonesbury uncovering the truth behind some of comic strip for 45 years. Four other 2014’s most incredible stories, and we cartoonists—Jules Feiffer (1961), salute their courage and determinaDavid Levine (1965), Jeff MacNelly tion.” (1977), and Edward Sorel (1980)—have About LIU also been cited for their work in speLIU is one of the nation’s largest ciﬁc years. private universities. Since its founding Trudeau, Feiffer, and Django Gold, in 1926, LIU has provided high quality senior writer for The Onion, will discuss the role and impact of comics academic programs taught by worldand satire in journalism in light of class faculty grounded in the liberal the Paris terrorist attacks on Char- arts and sciences. LIU offers 500 aclie Hebdo in early 2015 at the David J. credited programs to 18,500 students in Photo by Evan Eames Steinberg Seminar of the George Polk the New York City metropolitan region. Awards, “Dangerous CartoonLIU has an active network of morewith thanher While home for theLines: holidays in Alabama, Kelly discusses courtship ists and Other Subversives.” The semspiritual mother. The documentary “A Courtship” is Amy Kohn’s directorial 180,000 alumni that includes leadersdebut. in inar takes place on Thursday, April industries across the globe. LIU is rec9, at LIU Brooklyn’s Kumble Theater ognized for its commitment to experienfor Performing Arts. The event is free tial education, service learning, and enand open toKelly the public. daughter, Boggus who found Kohn, who has a background in “LIU is proud to honor excellence trepreneurial thinking. LIU empowers Jesus later in life and was now plan- students reality with shows and documentaries skills they need to excel inas a in investigative journalism that ning to save her next kiss for her producer and showrunner, makes Visither spans the globe with the George Polk the classroom and in their careers. husband, explained the director Amy Awards,” said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, liu.edu for more information. Kohn. Continued on page 30

Long Island University is Pleased to Announce and Congratulate the 2014 George Polk Award Winners Photo by John Johnson

International Reporting Rukmini Callimachi Ransom for Hostages The New York Times

Celebrated cinematographer Reed Morano makes her directorial debut with “Meadowland,” which looks at how a couple copes with the their son’s disappearance.

“[It’s] definitely good news to us, when we crunched the numbers and realized how strong the representation of female directors we actually had. That’s something that we want to celebrate and highlight and continue into next year for sure,” said Cusumano. This will be the eighth festival for Cusumano, who said she watches half a dozen movies a day each season. “You really do start to see a lot of the same tropes and a lot of the same ideas, so any time there’s somebody doing something fresh it really does stand out and announce itself,” she said. The festival’s mandate, she noted, is quality first. “We always looking for the strongest films, most interesting new voices, whether that’s in terms of the content or the storytelling style, the form,” she said. “We just want a program that’s really diverse and well rounded and represents what we think is the most interesting work being cre-

Foreign Reporting Rania Abouzeid “The Jihad Next Door” PoliticoMagazine Health Reporting Adam Nossiter, Norimitsu Onishi, Ben Solomon, Sheri Fink, Helene Cooper and Daniel Berehulak Ebola in West Africa The New York Times

Long Island University Photo by Molly Schwartz

polkawards.org

Admiral Dr. Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992) is among those featured in “Code,” Robin Hauser Reynolds’ documentary about the paucity of women and minorities in the tech industry.

ated each year.” Additionally, there are 12 films that are eligible this year for the Nora Ephron Prize, said Cusumano, an award created in honor of the

National Reporting Carol Leonnig Secret Service Scandal The Washington Post Local Reporting Tim Novak, Chris Fusco and Carol Marin “Who Killed David Koschman?” Chicago Sun-Times

late writer, screenwriter and director that was inaugurated in 2013. The $25,0000 prize will go to a female

Business Reporting International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Tax Havens in China and Europe The Center for Public Integrity Environmental Reporting Staff Oso Mudslide The Seattle Times Justice Reporting Julie K. Brown Florida Prison Deaths Miami Herald Michael Schwirtz and Michael Winerip Rikers Island Expose The New York Times Magazine Reporting James Verini “Should the United Nations Wage War to Keep Peace?” National Geographic

Military Reporting Dennis Wagner VA Hospital Scandal The Arizona Republic State Reporting Doug Pardue, Glenn Smith, Jennifer Berry Hawes and Natalie Caula Hauff “Till Death Do Us Part” The Post and Courier (South Carolina) Television Reporting Marisa Venegas, John Carlos Frey, and Solly Granatstein “Muriendo por Cruzar” (“The Real Death Valley”) Telemundo, The Weather Channel, Efran Films and The Investigative Fund (Melvin McCray) Commentary Ta-Nehisi Coates “The Case for Reparations” The Atlantic Career Award Garry Trudeau

Continued on page 25

DowntownExpress.com

April 9-April 22, 2015

Tribeca Film Festival recommits to its namesake neighborhood Continued from page 1

While the Chelsea venues will continue to host premieres, Regal will also be a place to find celebrity-infused red carpet glam. Add the return of BMCC Tribeca PAC as a screening venue and the popular free outdoor Drive-In series (right behind the Regal), and the festival is poised to offer its most downtown-centric iteration in years. “To keep the primary players in one area was a formula that worked from the beginning,” notes festival director Genna Terranova, who connects the 2015 edition’s geographic density to a desire to “create an environment where people feel like they’re part of the event; that sensation of community — and the best way to do that, we felt, was in our own community downtown. We always wanted to centralize the festival, because of our namesake,

Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

Red carpet glam can be found at every Tribeca Film Festival screening venue, April 15-26.

and also because we want to bring people together.” But you can’t do that without a hub, Terranova notes — and they’ve found one at 50 Varick

St. (btw. Beach & Laight). The 150,000-square-foot Spring Studios facility will provide ample space for multimedia installations, screenings, industry discussions (“Tea

Take B or Q Train to Kings Highway

Talks”) and a “live+ mobile + social media experience” that has A$AP Rocky sharing the stage with journalist Elliott Wilson for a conversation about how storytelling influenced his growth as a rap artist and style icon. That April 21 event, filmed to air on WatchLOUD.com, is indicative of the festival’s ongoing effort to reach wider audiences and embrace new platforms. “You can walk into the space and really feel like you’re part of the festival,” says Terranova of Spring Studios, which will host the hacking conference DEFCON. Its founder, Dark Tangent, will be on hand to launch their April 23–25 event. “It’s all good white hat-type stuff,” Terranova assures, noting that DEFCON will allow festivalgoers to participate in hands-on hacking activities, addressing both current Continued on page 27

Continued from page 26

events and issues connected to the subject matter of festival films. Only the very few among us who make those glasses look good will mourn the day that Virtual Reality overtakes 3D — and while the current state of technology isn’t exactly up to Star Trek holodeck standards, the Spring Studios facility has an April 24/25 event that offers a palpable glimpse into VR’s potential to radically alter moviegoing. Taking place in a 15x15 unit, “Lost” is a 6.5-minute real-time interactive VR narrative created by the Oculus Story Studio. After being placed in a moonlit forest with an “unusual guest,” your 360° world becomes fraught with danger. Terranova says use of horror movie tropes in “Lost” is a significant leap for the VR medium, which has evolved to a point where it’s able to ask (and answer), “How do we incorporate this new

bleaching

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technology into telling stories?” Virtual Reality has a presence elsewhere at Spring Studios, as part of the “Storyscapes” program. Its five

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tion labyrinth and the opportunity to become digital friends with life coach Karen. Her unhealthy curiosity about your personal life mirrors concerns brought up in another Storyscapes experience: “Do Not Track,” which reveals the extent to which your online activities are tracked. Additionally, the work of large-scale installation artist (and 2013 Storyscapes alum) Chris Milk will be featured, through a number of VR projects including “Evolution of Verse” and “Clouds Over Sidra.” For audiences accustomed to simply sitting back as the film unspools and occasionally gripping their cup holders during a tense moment, Terranova says the VR wow factor “is almost as if when you first saw cinema and everyone was afraid the train was coming off the screen. There’s a new grammar, a new language being created. The technology is here — but the challenge for the next generation of storytellers is, how do we apply it? We want to give them support as they move into a different world.”

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April 9-April 22, 2015

DowntownExpress.com

April 9-April 22, 2015

• Are You Facing a Tax Penalty for 2014 Because You Don’t Have Health Insurance?

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New therapy eliminates need for expensive eye drops, saving hundreds of dollars per case while improving comfort and safety for elderly patients Dr. Edward Rubinchik, one of the most highly experienced ocular surgeons in New York, is now offering patients a cataract surgery option that eliminates or minimizes the need for expensive post-operative eye drops, which are often required for 3-4 weeks after the procedure. “Drops are effective at reducing the risk of inflammation and infection,” said Dr. Rubinchik, a partner at Reich Medical and Surgical Eye Care, LLC and the first physician in New York to offer the dropless therapy. “However, at least 50% of patients end up missing a scheduled dose for one reason or another.” Studies show that many patients simply forget to use the drops properly and may have other medical conditions, such as arthritis, which

March 26-April 8, 2015

make it harder for them to take the drops. The number of patients who skip eyedrop doses increases with patient age, as does the need for cataract surgery itself. “We don’t have to worry about any of this with the dropless technique,” said Dr. Rubinchik, who practices in Midwood and Bensonhurst. “Our patients are much happier going ‘dropless’, and the medical system is saving hundreds of dollars per case. It’s a win-win for everybody.” Dr. Rubinchik added that many cataract patients have longstanding vision problems such as myopia or astigmatism and may be eligible for a multifocal lens implant during the same procedure, resulting in much better vision than the patient has experienced in years.

How It Works During dropless cataract surgery, a formulation of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications is deposited in the eye following cataract removal and lens implantation. The mixture is then slowly released throughout the post-operative period, not unlike a time-release capsule.

deductibles, which is the amount you must pay before services are covered. It’s important to have a complete picture of ALL your costs, including copays.

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Catastrophic – determines how you and your plan share the costs of care.

* You can also make an appointment to meet with a Fidelis Care Health Benefit Representative. Edward Rubinchik, MD, is the first and only ocular surgeon in Brooklyn offering the “dropless” cataract procedure. procedures. For more information or to schedule a comprehensive eye exam, call (718) 514-7160 or visit www.c2020now.com/ cataract. Just a train ride away from downtown Manhattan.

Midwood, 1575 East 19th Street, 1st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11230. Bensonhurst, 2327 83 Street, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11214. DowntownExpress.com

To learn more about applying for health insurance including Child Health Plus and Medicaid through NY State of Health, the Official Health Plan Marketplace, visit www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777.

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DowntownExpress.com

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March 26-April 8, 2015

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Continued from page 25

debut as a director. She was doing research for a reality show when she came across Christian courtship and Ron’s website, beforethekiss.com. “I was really surprised,” she said in a phone interview. “I had absolutely no idea that something like this existed in the United States.” It took her five to six months of talking on the phone and via Skype about what filming would entail, before the Wrights and Boggus agreed. Kohn filmed for a year and it took four years to complete the documentary. Funding the film was a huge challenge, she said. She launched an Indiegogo campaign for finishing funds and several people who worked on the film did so for less than their normal rate. “Otherwise, what I did was I was basically working to pay for the film,” she said. “I would work and work and work and save up money.” “A Courtship” will have its world

premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of the Tribeca Film Festival,” said Kohn. “I’m honored to be a part of something that’s showing so many interesting films with so many amazing filmmakers. When I started out the project, I don’t think I even imagined that it would come this far.” Kohn said that she appreciates and is happy to be part of a festival that recognizes so many female directors. There are challenges for women filmmakers and it is more difficult for women to succeed in the entertainment industry, she said, but that is certainly not limited to just this one industry. Having confidence in one’s work is important, she said. Being at several pitch meetings, she said, “A lot of time men tend to exude just more automatically a sense of confidence about their work, which may or may not be related to the quality of the work.” For more information, visit tribecafilm.com/festival or call 646-502-5296.

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April 9-April 22, 2015

DowntownExpress.com

April 9-April 22, 2015

THIS IS BIG NEWS FOR THE SMALLEST NEW YORKERS.

T:11.5”

OUR KiDS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS NOW OPEN TO SERVE THE CHILDREN OF NEW YORK. Children get sick, children have accidents. The good news is that NYU Langone has opened the KiDS ED to provide urgent medical attention in ways only children and parents can appreciate. It’s a kids-only treatment facility. In fact, the only adults you’ll find here are some of the world’s best pediatric doctors and nurses, all specially trained to have a delicate understanding of how to treat children of all ages. To learn more, visit nyulangone.org/KiDSED.

April 9-April 22, 2015

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