Red Hook Star-Revue, May 2019 by George Fiala

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The Star-Revue’s Moms Tribute, 2019

Red Hook StarRevue 481 Van Brunt Street, 8A Brooklyn, NY 11231 (718) 624-5568 www.star-revue.com

EDITOR & PUBLISHER George Fiala ARTS EDITOR

Matt Caprioli

MUSIC EDITOR

Michael Cobb

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Brett Yates REPORTERS

Nathan Weiser Erin DeGregorio

DESIGN

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CONTRIBUTORS Sofia Baluyut Kelsey Liebenson-Morse WEB EDITOR Sonja Kodiak-Wilder ADVERTISING

Liz Galvin Jamie Yates

BUSINESS MANAGER

Cock Robin

“Best Community Publication”

FOR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING OR EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES, email george@redhookstar.com.

The Red Hook Star-Revue is published monthly. Founded June 2010.

Community Numbers: Red Hook Councilman

Carlos Menchaca (718) 439-9012 Red Hook Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (718) 492-6334 State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (718) 643-6140 Gowanus Councilman Brad Lander (718) 499-1090 Park Slope Councilman Steve Levin (718) 875-5200 CB6 District Manager Michael Racioppo (718) 643-3027 76th Police Precinct, 191 Union Street Main phone (718) 834-3211 Community Affairs (718) 834-3207 Trafﬁc Safety (718) 834-3226 Eileen Dugan Senior Center (718) 596-1956 Miccio Center (718) 243-1528 Red Hook East (718) 852-6771 Red Hook West (718) 522-3880

STARREVUE COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS email george@redhookstar.com to list your event. For more listings, check out our online community calendar at www.star-revue.com/calendar

May Events Friday, May 3

The PS 29 gala and auction will start at 7:00 pm at 26 Bridge Street in DUMBO. The auction starts online on Friday, April 26, and all proceeds will beneﬁt PS 29.

Saturday, May 4

The M Shanghai String Band celebrate their 15-year anniversary. They will play two sets starting at 9 pm sharp. Admission includes a free copy of their cd “Up from the Ground Below.” Their concerts are known for their unbridled joy and raucous energy. Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street. The Cobble Hill Tree Fund plant sale, 10:30 – 3 pm at Cobble Hill Park (Clinton & Congress Streets). Rain date is Sunday, May 5. There will be a plant identiﬁcation game in the park for kids.

Sunday, May 5

The Gowanus Souvenir Shop, 567 Union St.. partners with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy for a plant sale in their front yard from 10 am – 6 pm. There will be a wide range of native plants available, most of which are grown by GCC volunteers and students at their Gowanus Salt Lot.

Monday, May 6⋅

Regina Opera free performance of “Il Trovatore” A free “sneak peek” performance of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”. The opera, a story of passion and revenge, featuring such arias as “Tacea la notte”, “Stride la vampa”, “Il Balen”, and “Ah, si, ben mio” will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. This performance, featuring a cast of Regina Opera’s “covers” (understudies) be presented with piano accompaniment. Our Lady of Perpetual Help school, 5902 6th Avenue, Brooklyn 7:30 – 8:30 pm

Wednesday, May 8

Community Board 6 general board meeting 6:30 at P.S. 133, 610 Baltic Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue.

Wednesday, May 15

Pioneer Works hosts a Community Lunch at 12:30. Join Pioneer Works staff, artistsin residence and friends in their garden for lunch. This month’s lunch will feature Kia Damon. Damon is a Florida-born, self-taught chef turned executive chef in Chinatown, Manhattan.

Thursday, May 16

Gowanus Sunset Walking Tour with Joseph Alexiou. Experience Gowanus at Magic Hour and learn about the Canal’s natural origins, iconic architecture, its key role in the Revolutionary War, and the cleanup of its present-day pollution. This tour begins at the Gowanus Souvenir Shop. 567 Union St, 6:30 – 8:45pm

Friday, May 17

Friends of Fireﬁghters second annual chili cook-off from 6 – 9 pm at the Hamilton (120 Hamilton Ave.) Tickets are $40

Compiled by Nathan and Erin

for adults, $15 for kids and free for kids under five. With a ticket for this fundraiser that benefits Friends of Firefighters you get chili from various firehouses, additional food, beer, wine and other beverages.

Saturday, May 18

Play All Day. Eat the Healthy Way. Join the PS 15 PTA, the school community & Good Shepherd Services for our 2nd Annual Community Wellness Fair. Play soccer, enter a basketball shoot-out; taste plant-based foods; try mini yoga workshops, cardio sculpt classes, blood pressure, glucose preventative health screenings and more! All events held on the school play yard on Van Brunt & Sullivan St. from 10:30 am-1:30 pm. (Rain plan: Inside the school) Film students will present their documentaries from the 7-week after school filmmaking intensive class at Hook Arts Media, 480 Van Brunt Street. Students earn a wage while learning the ins and outs of the professional film production cycle. The Kentler International Drawing Space 100 Works on Paper Benefit 6 - 8 pm. One hundred artists will donate original drawings and works on paper in support of Kentler International Drawing Space’s 17th annual benefit, celebrating their 29th year. One ticket is $300, early bird special is $250. There will be two silent auctions.

Sunday, May 19

Stupid Light, Make Your Own Theater in memory of Lenore Doxsee Target Margin has long held days of “theater-making” and they continue this tradition with Stupid Light in memory of Lenore Doxsee, a quintessential conceiver and partner in the creation of Target Margin Theater. On May 19, they will bring together a group of associated artists to eat, drink, play, and make some crazy theater in her memory. 232 52nd St, Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, May 21

The Friends of PS 15 are pleased to announce that, along with Pioneer Works Center for Art + Innovation, we will be holding our 5th Annual Friends of PS 15 Spring Celebration fundraiser on Tuesday May 21st. It is a music and dance ﬁlled night out uniting local businesses, parents, and faculty to raise funds to support the scholarship and creativity of our students.

Tuesday, May 28

The Gowanus Community Advisory Group will have their monthly meeting from 6:30 to 9 pm at St. Mary’s Residence (41 First Street).

bor, face-painting, t-shirt decorating, in addition to interactive activities on stage.

ONGOING

Every Saturday there will be activities available at the Miccio Center from 10 am to 5 pm for ages 13 and older sponsored by Good Shepherd Services. Every Wednesday Jalopy Theatre and School of Music present Roots n Ruckus from 9 to 11 pm This is a night of folk, oldtime and blues music. Every Friday free children’s art workshop at the Red Hook Recreation Center from 4 - 6 pm Led by Arts Student League Instructor John Bunge, for ages 6 - 13. For more information call 718-722-7105. Every Thursday at Rocky Sullivan’s, 46 Beard Street, Broadly Entertaining host trivia night. The free trivia will start at 8 pm. First place winner gets 50 percent off their tab. Open Mic Night Mondays, at Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, 315 Columbia Street. Sign up in person by 9 pm.

At the Library, 7 Wolcott Street

Mother’s Day Photoshoot – Friday, May 10, 3pm Have your photo taken for someone special in your life! Your photo is yours to keep or give away – printed or by email. Culture Pass: Colors of the World – Monday, May 13, 3:30pm Join the Morgan Library & Museum for a workshop exploring how literacy has changed the world throughout history. Adult Women’s Group: Music by Judy Gorman -- Thursday, May 16, 5 pm The Women’s Empowerment Series continues with a performance by singer Judy Gorman. Self Defense for Kids with POP Gym, Tuesday, May 21, 5pm, Kids learn introductory skills to help them stay safe. Part of the Change Agents initative. Adult Women’s Group: Sip and Paint, Tuesday, May 21, 6pm The Women’s Empowerment Series continues with an evening of creativity and refreshments. Hire Red Hook Job Fair -- Thursday, May 23, 5:30 pm Interview on the spot with employers looking to hire. Dress professionally and bring your resume. Poetry Reading/Walt Whitman’s Birthday, Friday, May 31, 4pm Celebrate Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday with us!

Friday, May 31

Red Hook Fest 2019 will begin at 5:30 pm at PS 15 with a free barbecue and a DJled dance party with special performances from pre-professional youth groups led by Rajonna Lewis. On Saturday, June 1, the festival will continue at Valentino Pier where there will be kayaking in the har-

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

NYCHA Police Precinct, 80 Dwight St. Main Phone (718) 265-7300 Community Affairs (718) 265-7313 Domestic Violence (718) 265-7310 Youth Ofﬁcer (718) 265-7314 Red Hook NCO police Damien Clarke, (929) 287-7155 Jonathan Rueda, (917)941-2185

Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue

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May 2019

The Monster That Surrounds You: Tyjuan Hill, Ronald Williams, and the 76th Precinct by Brett Yates

n 2005, the HarperCollins imprint William Morrow published the memoir No Lights, No Sirens: The Corruption and Redemption of an Inner City Cop by Robert Cea, a former New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer. The book chronicled Cea’s days in uniform in the stygian “Badlands” patrolled by the 76th Precinct in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Red Hook Star-Revue

According to Cea, “the 7-6 was a dumping ground of sorts. That meant, in simple terms, that if a cop fucked up on the job, but was lucky enough to beat a judicial trial and subsequently a departmental trial, the job would punish him, or her, with a transfer into these ‘dumping ground’ precincts, hopefully never to be heard from again. “Most of the time these places were in far-off environs where you would not have the chance to deal with real people or real cops ever again. Whether they were in industrial areas, or hellhole amits of the city, they guaranteed one thing: You’d never have to be bothered with normalcy again. Welcome to Red Hook and Gowanus.” Cea’s determination that the New York City residents whom he’d sworn to protect and serve were not “real people” was reflected both in his language choices – to him, everyone in Red Hook was an “animal,” the epithet he used again and again, alongside occasional racial slurs – and in his consistently cruel and illegal behavior. With the approval of his colleagues, he brutalized suspects as a preemptive form of self-protection (“Neutralize first: ask questions later”) and ransacked homes without a warrant. He robbed drug dealers for heroin, which he used to bribe informants. He wrote up arbitrary charges of dis-

orderly conduct to throw people in jail when he didn’t like the looks of them: “You don’t have any ID and are standing in a drug-prone location, or just look suspicious – BANG, you’re sleeping in some smelly precinct for three days.” He elicited false confessions: “[I’d] lie to the perps, allowing them to think that confessing on camera would lead to an extremely light sentence, probably time served would be all.” Frequently, he offered dishonest testimony in court to protect himself and his fellow officers, describing an “arrest exactly the way it wasn’t… the way the judges wanted to hear it so their calendars were cleared when the mopes pled out, and the way I wanted to tell it to keep the animals in the cages where they belonged.” The officers called it “test-i-lying.” Cea rationalized this crime-stopping approach by depicting Red Hook as a place so deadly that he had to operate outside the rules to survive. “You see, in order to thrive and excel in working environments like the Badlands, you have to become the monster that surrounds you,” he wrote. No Lights, No Sirens was not an apology. The victims of Cea’s story were not the people of Red Hook; the victim was Cea himself, whose noble and unremitting commitment to crime prevention put him in such intimate proximity to humanity’s ugliest

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“In his account, the cops functioned as a street gang almost indistinguishable from rival outfits, seizing power for its own sake.” creatures as to compromise his inner peace. He cared too much, couldn’t get the job off his mind, and lost his marriage as a result. He had to retire to save his soul – whereas no one in Red Hook had a soul to begin with, apparently. But Cea’s writing made clear that his concern had never been public safety. In his account, the cops functioned as a street gang almost indistinguishable from rival outfits, seizing power for its own sake. Cea and his partner liked

Continued on page 30

May 2019, Page 3

WEEKSVILLE ARTS INSTITUTE PREPARES SUMMER PROGRAM

summer. This summer AYCAF is adding 30 additional slots for kids to have fun and tap into their creative roots.

by Erin DeGregorio

“We’re very blessed and proud to be able provide an outlet for more youth in our community to experience our multidisciplinary performing arts and theater day camp,” he said in a statement.

AYCAF’s Executive Director Kofi Osei Williams is excited about the camp’s anticipated expansion.

Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation (AYCAF) and their School of the Arts program are getting ready for what’s expected to be their largest children’s summer art camp. The multidisciplinary theater camp, which is geared toward ages four to 13, has attracted over a thousand participants since 2006, averaging 70 kids per

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Every year attendees create an original theater production that’s presented as the finale to their families and friends to end camp. They learn all aspects of live production including writing, mu-

sic, dance, costumes, choreography, staging, lights and sound. Last year’s play “The HBCU SHOW,” for instance, was recently featured and presented seven times as part of the “Onstage @ the Weeksville Theater Series,” held at the Weeksville Heritage Center this past February. The play was inspired by and in support of historically Black colleges and universities throughout the United States. “The HBCU SHOW” is an original story written by Williams and is based on six adolescents from Brooklyn, who have the privilege to experience a Historically Black College & University national tour.

Hollywood actress Shahadi Wright-Joseph is an alumna of the Asase Yaa program.

games, drumming, dancing and taking field trips twice a week to museums, performances or amusement parks within the tri-state area.

Kids also enjoy arts and crafts, table

Some of the young alumni who’ve previously attended include Shahadi Wright-Joseph (who appeared in Jordon Peele’s new hit film, “Us,” that came out in late March), Chinua Payne (currently playing young Simba in “The Lion King” on Broadway), and Vianka Winborne (a featured dancer in musician Drake’s national concert tour last year). The camp also attracts the volunteer support of teachers who were principal dancers with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company, Les Ballet Africans of Guinea, and the Broadway show “Stomp” to further enrich the campers’ educational experiences.

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The six-week-long day camp is scheduled for July 1 to August 9, MondaysFridays (8 am - 5 pm). Tuition is $900 and there’s a $50 registration fee. The camp will be held at Asase’s new home, P.S. 21, 180 Chauncey St.

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May 2019

Defonte’s Way one step closer to reality as CB6 board gives approval by Erin DeGregorio

he process for co-naming Columbia Street (between Commerce and Delavan Streets) after Daniel Defonte, the late owner of Defonte’s, has begun. The proposal originally came to Community Board 6’s attention as a request at their Executive Committee meeting held on April 8. A petition drive to rename the street DeFonte’s way was started by a long time employee after Daniel’s death in 2015. Defonte’s Sandwich Shop has been in the neighborhood at 379 Columbia St. since 1922. Defonte passed away at the age of 89, and his son Nicky took over the business. Board members Jerry Armer and Karen Broughton spoke of their support during the general board meeting held on April 10, citing that the eatery has been a neighborhood staple for decades. “I think we too often forget about the people who made our neighborhoods what they are today,” Armer said. “We’re all looking at new buildings, at a rezoning in Gowanus and around the Gowanus Canal, and we talk about how do we preserve the past while increasing the density in new buildings. One of the ways we can do it in that area is to do a co-naming.” “Defonte’s is an avid contributor to the schools, [and] any events that take place in Red Hook,” Broughton added. “They are like family in Red Hook.” The rest of the CB6 members were

Red Hook Star-Revue

also in favor of the proposal and unanimously approved the motion.

Karaoke club fails

Board members didn’t approve the liquor license motion for a high-end, karaoke-type nightclub (proposed to be at 168 Van Dyke St.) during their full board meeting. This followed the passed motion for a new on-premise liquor license application at the Permits & Licenses Committee meeting in March. “When I look at liquor licenses I try to see what benefit it will have for the community,” said Leroy Branch, Permits & Licenses Committee member and Red Hook resident. “This particular liquor license, barring the business plan in terms of 26 individual rooms of karaoke, will have no benefit for the community whatsoever.” Victoria Alexander, who represents the landlord in this property, disclosed that this tenant doesn’t have a lease yet. Jerry Armer also noted that the parking lot, which the applicant had previously referred to for using as a space to park the club’s limos, is an in-use O’Connell property.

Clean up Halleck!

A motion to request that Department of Transportation take immediate action and clean up Halleck Street (right by Clinton and Court Streets) or demap it and offer it to the Parks Department as an expansion of Red Hook Park also came to the table. This comes during the same time when

The late Daniel DeFonte (r) with son and current owner Nicky.

Red Hook Ballfields 5-8, which originally closed in 2015 due to elevated lead levels, are currently being remediated.

chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee. “If we don’t do something about this now, we’re going to miss a very good opportunity.”

“Since the street has not been used in many years [and] is currently a dumping ground, we have an opportunity to do this before the next phase of remediation and renovation of the Red Hook ballfields,” said Glenn Kelly,

Kelly also noted that Parks will not take over the property unless there’s funding to renovate it. The board passed the motion with a friendly amendment that extra funding be put toward this site.

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May 2019, Page 5

Gowanus Neighbors Give City Planning a Piece of Their Minds by Erin DeGregorio

he plan to rezone Gowanus to allow skyscrapers to be built there, took another step forward on April 25 as the Department of City Planning (DCP) held a required public meeting. The meeting garnered lots of vocal community input. Olga Abinader, acting director of DCP’s Environmental Assessment and Review Division, kicked off the meeting, stating that its purpose was to allow for public participation in preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The meeting marked the beginning of the formal environmental review process for the proposal. “After carefully reviewing all comments, the department will decide what changes, if any, need to be made to the Draft Scope of Work and then issue a Final Scope of Work,” she said. “It is the Final Scope of Work that will serve as the basis for preparing the DEIS.” DCP’s Jonathan Keller, who’s a senior planner and team leader in the Brooklyn Borough Office, presented to the public, via slideshow, a development scenario for the analysis year of 2035. DCP has identified 73 potential development sites, plus 60 projected development sites that will generate

roughly about: 8,200 dwelling units 696,000 sf commercial space 251,000 sf community facility 104,000 sf warehouse space 125,000 sf self-storage space 60,000 sf other industrial space

• • • • • •

“The EIS will look at these projections and analyze the potential impact by comparing what the future would look like without the proposed actions, to the future with the proposed actions, by utilizing criteria outlined in the City Environment Quality Review Technical Manual to determine significant adverse effects,” he explained. Patrick Blanchfield, senior technical director at consulting firm AKRF, briefly went over the Draft Scope of Works’ 22 tasks that would be analyzed in the EIS. Noted areas of important analysis included: socioeconomic conditions (direct and indirect displacement of residents/businesses), community facilities (schools, libraries, child care), historic and cultural resources (archaeological and architectural), hazardous materials, water and sewer infrastructure (sewer conveyance and capacity), and transportation (traffic, transit, pedestrians, parking). Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon,

Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon speaks for Gowanus residents. (DeGregorio photo)

goals of rezoning the Gowanus area.” “This is trying nd a way Simonto also fi feels that DEP’s planned

who has previously dealt with rezonings, was the only politician to show up in-person. She believes Gowanus needs to be rezoned, but has multiple concerns including the currently proposed floor area ratio and scope of the study area going “too far afield.” Simon added that 4th Avenue north to Pacific Street isn’t part of Gowanus and that the proposed 30-story buildings along 4th Avenue are too tall and dense.

combined sewer overflow (CSO) facilities don’t accommodate for an increase in population.

to prevent the shoreline

from just being aoutlong row ofbe is built to its fullest, there will

“My biggest concern is that if this plan 18,000 new residents, who along with the current residents, would be living next to a very, very troubled site,” she said. “We all hope and pray that the Gowanus Canal does not become a sewer again.”

glass and brick that rises up vertically from the path.”

“To me this is overreaching,” she said. “I don’t agree with that at all and I believe that is not consistent with the

Fifty-two members of the public – made

(continued on next page)

BROOKLYN HAS A NEW EVENT SPACE

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May 2019

BASIS Bombshell

(ed. note - the following email was sent to parents of Red Hook’s BASIS School)

Message from BASIS Independent Schools CEO, Dr. Ian Block Dear Families,

Over the course of the past few days we have received questions regarding Spring Education, their motivation for acquiring BASIS independent Schools, their financial backing, and their long term objective. I’ve included a letter below from Shawn Weidmann, CEO of Spring Education, that provides some perspective in his own words. Shawn also looks forward to visiting all of our campuses in the near future, meeting with leadership, and getting to know each of our school communities. Sincerely, Ian Block, Chief Executive Officer -------------------April 26, 2019 Dear BASIS Independent Families, You heard from Ian Block this week about the news of the change in ownership of BASIS Independent Schools. Now I want to follow up and reiterate how excited we are to have the BASIS Independent Schools – and your family – as part of the Spring Education Group. First, I want to reassure you that we highly value what BASIS Independent Schools do and how they do it. Academic excellence for your student is our shared top priority. Outside of the normal course of business, rest assured that Spring Education has no intention of changing the BASIS Curriculum or the day-to-day operations of your school. Equally important, we recognize that the talented team of faculty, staff and management at BASIS Independent is critical to the success of your student and we ab-

solutely will support them. As you come to know me, you will see that that is my style and the style of Spring - we support and nurture what we know is important. We were attracted to the BASIS Independent Schools because of their highperforming approach to education, and our desire is to support the BASIS team in achieving that. Spring Education does not have a “one-size fits all” mentality in operating our schools. Rather, we strive to preserve the unique educational approaches of the schools within our network, and plan to do the same with BASIS Independent. I would also like to address a question that has been raised - about Spring Education’s relationship with Primavera Capital, and how might this affect the operation and future of BASIS Independent Schools. I want to be open and honest with you about this topic because I realize that the public often has a negative perception of private equity firms, believing that all of these firms have short-term investment horizons and care only for the bottom line. Primavera is a leading China-based investment firm with investments in companies

Gowanus rezoning plan plods forward up of residents, group representatives and property owners spoke through comment cards for more than two hours. A majority reiterated concerns about CSO, density, affordable housing and current NYCHA conditions. A representative from the Fifth Avenue Committee lobbied for the nearby NYCHA residents, asking for money for their buildings. The Gowanus Canal CAG met at their monthly meeting just two days before to discuss the remedies as rezoning and cleanup plans simultaneously move forward. Chrissy Remein, who represented the CAG at this scoping meeting, provided the group’s concerns, which echoed and amplified those of the Assemblywoman as regards the potential re-contamination of the Canal. FROGG member Linda Mariano called the rezoning “unjust,” a “calamity” and one that threatens residents’ lives. “The Planning Commission is stealing our history and our future. This is a collective loss of our urban landscape

All of us at Spring Education recognize and understand that ultimately this ownership transition comes down to trust. Your student’s education is of utmost importance to you, as it is to us. We know that education is much more than the efficient operation of a business -- it is all about caring for the future of your child. We do care -- deeply. And we will uphold the trust you place in us to carry out -- and further invest in -- the BASIS Independent Schools’ mission.

all over the world, including companies in the U.S., such as Spring Education and Worldstrides. While they are a majority shareholder, Primavera is not involved in our operations. Spring’s U.S.-based management team is responsible for all decisions, direction-setting and day-to-day operations of the entire Spring Education network of schools – including the newly acquired schools from BASIS Independent. While I have a strong business background as CEO, the vast majority of our management team has worked together for years and is comprised of top-notch educators with extensive experience in running the high-performance private schools that make up Spring Education such as Stratford Schools, Nobel Learning Communities and LePort Montessori. Primavera only invests in high quality companies and their consistent theme with our management team is to invest in Spring for the long-term. They are committed to our vision of providing high quality education to our children and making needed investments to improve and grow our schools. We expect to do the same at the BASIS Independent schools.

I look forward to meeting and talking with many of you as I join Ian Block to make the rounds of the BASIS Independent campuses in the near future. You will find that we are a company that is deeply committed to academic excellence and the success of your student. You will find that we are a group of people who care and with whom you can place your trust. We look forward to continuing to serve your family by providing academic excellence for the long term through your BASIS Independent School. Sincerely, Shawn Weidmann CEO, Spring Education

(cont. from prev. page)

in,” he added.

and sense of identity,” she said. “It is a traumatic stress disorder that Planning is creating in Gowanus.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Community Board 6 will discuss the Gowanus scoping at their next general board meeting (May 8, 6:30 pm, at 610 Baltic St.) and will provide comments to DCP via letter afterward.

However, a few people also voiced their approval for the proposals – and even for more residential density – toward the end of the meeting. “If New York wants to aspire to be a sustainable, inclusive and dynamic city, and if DCP wants this particular rezoning to be a sustainable and inclusive rezoning … they will need to add more housing, not only for those who already live in New York, but for all of those who want to move here for the dynamic opportunities New York City provides,” said Lauren Thomas, who’s lived in Brooklyn for two years.

Locals can review the Draft Scope of Work on DCP’s website, and can send comments to NYC DCP Environmental Assessment & Review Division 120 Broadway, 31st Floor, New York, New York 10271, or email 19DCP157K@planning.nyc.gov. The written comment period will remain open until May 27. Then DCP will evaluate all comments and decide what changes, if any, need to be made before issuing a final scope. According to one of DCP’s presentation slides, “The Final EIS will identify, disclose and answer the questions posed at the beginning – what are the potential ramifications that a proposed discretionary action might have on the urban environment in the foreseeable future.”

Resident Jake Schmitt said rezoning provides a good opportunity to fix housing shortages and climate change. Another pro-rezoning resident said the CSO issue shouldn’t be used as a reason to not have more housing. “It’s a lot easier problem to solve than a decades-long housing crisis that New York and other places find themselves

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May 2019, Page 7

The Semper Defier, unveiled.

Fort Defiance kicks off 10th anniversary with a new Duke Riley mural

t’s a classic Revolutionary War battle tableau — formal ranks of fearsome Redcoats square off against a ragtag bunch of… mermaids? It’s the kind of thing one might expect from Duke Riley, the Brooklyn-based artist who produced Semper Defier, the mural that now hangs above the bar at Fort Defiance. Riley, whose work is exhibited in several museums internationally, has a signature style which “interweaves historical and contemporary events with elements of fiction and myth to create allegorical histories,” according to his artist’s bio. Inspired by conversations between Riley and Fort Defiance owner St.

John Frizell, Semper Defier loosely depicts the maritime aspect of the Battle of Brooklyn, August 1776, in a style reminiscent of 18th century American woodcuts, like Paul Revere’s “The Bloody Massacre” (1770). To the right, Continental mermaids fire cannon and muskets at British soldiers. In the center of the painting, the flagship HMS Eagle is silhouetted against a cloudy nighttime sky, while the American Turtle, the world’s first combat submarine (and inspiration for Riley’s 2007 work “After the Battle of Brooklyn”) bobs in the foreground. On the mermaids’ side, a fort looms on a hillside in the distance: Fort Defiance, for which the restaurant is

named. “It’s a dream come true,” says Frizell, who met Riley at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook some time before Fort Defiance opened in 2009. “Since we opened, I’ve been saving the space above the bar for a painting depicting the Battle of Brooklyn and the first Fort Defiance. Duke’s been a regular at Fort Defiance for years, and I’ve always been a huge fan of his work. I’m thrilled that it all came together like this.” Semper Defier was unveiled at a reception on Wednesday, April 17, at 6 pm — the first in a series of 10th anniversary events in 2019, including a Fort Defiance / Sunken Harbor Club tiki party on June 20 (the exact 10th

anniversary of opening), and a commemoration of the Battle of Brooklyn in late August. From the display above the bar at Fort Defiance: “Fort Defiance was built in Red Hook during the Revolutionary War. Its four 18-pound cannon commanded New York Harbor & discouraged the British fleet from sailing into the East River during the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776. George Washington and the Continental Army narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of the British by crossing to Manhattan in the middle of the night, just a few miles upriver from Ft. Defiance.”

St. John serving drinks for about the last time before the unveiling

Volunteers attempting to pull the strings to unveil the artwork.

Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue

Al Culliton, Fort Defiance manager, is called on to cut away the blanket and unveil the painting when it turns out the strings aren’t working. “We should have had a dress rehearsal,” bemoaned owner St. John Frizell, with a smile.

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May 2019

Homegrown nonprofit celebrates another successful year Nathan Weiser

xtreme Kids & Crew is holding their sixth annual fundraiser on May 15 at 501 Union Street in Gowanus. Doors open at 7 pm.

and you can do what you want to do,” Reid said. “That really spoke to us. Luckily, he was very willing to accept the award.”

Extreme Kids and Crew is a nonprofit that provides a welcoming and supportive space for children with disabilities. They have a play space at PS 15 in Red Hook where a ball pit and sensory gym equipment are located.

A prominent feature of the Felix Awards is that the ball pit and sensory gym will be at the event space. Adults will get a chance to try the ball pit.

Each year, the Felix Awards highlights an artist whose work incorporates, explores and transcends disability. This year the Felix Award honoree is the accomplished Jerron Herrman, principal dancer at the Heidi Latsky Dance Company. Herrman overcame a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis to be able to lead an independent life and realize his dream of being a professional dancer and choreographer at a company that strives to integrate people with disabilities. According to Extreme Kids & Crew Development & Communications Director, Leigh Reid, Herrman first came to the Awards four years ago when he

“the Felix Awards highlights an artist whose work incorporates, explores and transcends disability.” presented an award for Heidi Latsky. “We have been following his career a bit and then we started to see him popping up elsewhere in New York City,” Reid said. “For example, having his own solo show, and we also saw he was in the Tommy Hilfiger ad Great Big Story.” “Society can limit you, but you can work on what you want to work on,

“Last year we brought over the majority of the equipment and realized how much fun that was for everybody, so we will be doing that again,” Reid said. “We will bring the giant pillows, the swings and the ball pit.” Extreme Kids works with Movers, not Shakers! to bring the ball pit and sensory gym from their usual location at PS 15 to the Felix Awards. Movers, not Shakers! is located in Gowanus. There will be a specialty cocktail provided by the Van Brunt Distillery. A DJ will be providing music. A photo booth near the ball pit will be provided by MVS Studios. “It is pretty much what our spaces are known for – that we have this really fun ball pit,” Communications Coordinator, Claribel Rivas, said. “Something special about the Felix Awards is that it is pretty much for adults, so the adults will get to have fun and see what it is like to play with the sensory gym items we have like the swings and ball pit.” Attendees will get to experience what the kids experience at the play space and know what their money is benefiting. “Our main goal is to diminish feelings of isolation in parents and caregivers and increase feelings of friendship and confidence-building in children,” Reid said. “While we don’t do therapy in the conventional textbook sense, it is incredibly supportive of any child or family’s development to have a place where they can go and be happy and welcomed.” Extreme Kids & Crew runs an afterschool program at PS 15 Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 5 pm with at least 10 kids in that program.

Gala guests having fun with the balls at last year’s event. (photo by Filip Wolak)

The kids involved in Extreme Kids afterschool usually stay throughout one whole year, and they are eligible if they have one of a range of special needs. “If they have an individualized education program plan then they can sign up, which is the Department of Education’s designation that they have a special need whether it is English as a Second Language or a disability,” Reid said. On Saturdays and Sundays, their programs start at 10:30 am and go until 4 pm. “The space is utilized pretty constantly,” Reid said. “The afterschool is solely for kids who go to school at PS 15 and live in the neighborhood. On the weekends, it is a mix, anyone from anywhere in the city is welcome to come.” According to Rivas, open play, which takes place from 1 to 4 pm on the weekends, is their most popular program and gets the most attendees. Kids and parents will often come in and out throughout the afternoon. The first hour might bring in 10 families and then two families might leave and five more might come in.

The dinner will include a silent auction. Prizes from the silent auction include Rangers tickets, VIP tickets to see Late Night with Stephen Colbert, a Montauk getaway with a private beach and a voucher for 10 classes at SOULCYCLE. According to Reid, the only part of Extreme Kids that isn’t totally free is summer camp. Extreme Kids has not turned anyone interested away for a lack of money, which is a reason the Felix Awards is a great time and is so important. The camp in Red Hook for elementary school kids has lots of outdoor activities with music involved when they are inside. “The Red Hook camp goes for six weeks,” Rivas said. “In the Red Hook camp there are field trips, they go to museums, they go to the Red Hook Library and the Community Farm About 20 percent of the annual budget comes from the spring campaign, and the money from the auction goes directly to help provide programing. Each ticket to the Felix Awards goes towards funding Extreme Kids programing. The range of ticket options is $25 to $500 and can be purchased at their website, extremekidsandcrew.org.

The Red Hook Star-Revue December 2010

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May 2019, Page 9

South Brooklyn HS partners with Pioneer Works by Erin DeGregorio

hirteen South Brooklyn Community High School (SBCHS) students had the opportunity to develop and hone their tech and fashion skills this past year. The Fashion Tech Program, which was divided into Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 timetables, has been held after school in collaboration with Pioneer Works. The program’s concept and curriculum, developed in part by Tiffanie Harris (Pioneer Works’ Director of Community and School Programs), greatly evolved from being just an introductory fashion class first piloted in Fall 2016. Since this program has a prominent tech focus, she wanted to show students how the two fields overlap with one another. “STEM is something we do quite well here at Pioneer Works because we’re an interdisciplinary arts space,” Harris told this paper. “We do our best to create interdisciplinary programs where students are not only thinking [about] art, but also the hard skills that they can use and apply, and how they can transfer these skills to degrees and careers they can pursue if interested in these fields.”

This is Pioneer Works’ first partnership with SBCHS, and the feeling of excitement was mutual between both parties, according to Domingo Rodriguez, the program director at Good Shepherd Services, which operates the school with the Department of Education. “Most of our students are always talking about fashion, Facebook and Instagram,” he said, reflecting on his meeting with Pioneer Works last summer. “So when [Pioneer Works] was talking about this program I thought, ‘Wow, that could be great.’” During the 12 weeks students explored fashion media, textiles, and technology-enabled accessories to create wearable designs in Pioneer Works’ space with two educators (who are members of the Lady Tech Guild, a collective of professional women in

Firefighters Benefit coming to the Hamilton The second annual Friends of Firefighters Firehouse Chili Cook-Off will take place at the Hamilton (120 Hamilton Ave.) in Red Hook on May 17 from 6 pm until 9 pm. The Hamilton, located across from Harold Ickes Park, is Red Hook’s newest event space. This 2nd annual Chili Cook-Off is sponsored by Pig Island NYC with help from the TD Charitable Foundation. Firehouses from around the five boroughs of NYC will try to impress guests and the celebrity judges with their best original chili recipes. Tickets for this event are $40 for

Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue

the 3D industry). Students interacted with professional designers, visited fashion-centric colleges and learned hands-on tech processes using materials like thermochromic fabric, light emitting diodes (LEDs), motion sensors, 3D printing and more. While they gained tactile designing and business skills, they also built social skills, confidence and responsibility. On Nov. 9, students also participated in “Teens Take the Met!” – a museumwide program at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that brings together teens from the five boroughs for a night of teen-centric activities. There the SBCHS students showcased their hand sewn LED bracelets. To conclude the fall program in early December, they displayed their garments in a fashion collection debut during Pioneer Work’s Second Sundays programming. They created their augmented fashion ensemble using a combination of soft circuitry, projected media, digitally remixed patterns and logos and augmented reality storytelling. They also informally talked about their design and creative processes to families, friends and fellow classmates within Pioneer Work’s Science Studios. Rodriguez said SBCHS Principal LaToya Kittrell liked it so much afterward that one of the students was encouraged to hold a school-wide fashion show during a Friday morning school assembly.

Spring Activities

Rodriguez said the average attendance for these students has improved 22 per cent so far from last year’s 66 per cent rate. Students expressed that the program connected them to others, and some had said it motivated them to attend school, especially on certain days. While some of the program’s students graduated mid-year, the nongraduates had the chance to continue the program in the spring. Currently they’re meeting afterschool three times a week and are learning to in-

adults, $15 for kids and free for kids under five. A ticket will include tasting chili from each of the firehouses, plus additional food, beer, wine and other beverages. Coffee at the event will be provided by Fire Department Coffee, which is a firefighter-run roasting company that helps first responders injured on the job. All proceeds from the event will benefit Friends of Firefighters, which is a Red Hook-based 501©3 nonprofit dedicated to addressing the physical, mental health and wellness needs of New York City’s firefighters and their families.

HS Students at the fall Fashion Tech event. (courtesy D. Rodriguez) tegrate different sensors and microcontrollers into upcycled tracksuits. They’ve done this by using code, creating circuit diagrams and sewing techrelated items into their garments.

A student’s success

Augustine Bagley, a yearlong program participant, sat down with the Star-Revue to talk about his experience thus far. He learned how to hand sew and machine sew, and made a turtleneck shirt and a pair of pants in a maker space in Greenpoint. To incorporate technology into the mix, Bagley added motion response LEDs to the pants’ cuffs. Not only do the bottom of the pants light up, but they also tell the temperature outside thanks to coding. He said being a skateboarder inspired him to develop this kind of design. “When you ride a skateboard you usually can’t see your feet, especially when you’re doing your tricks,” he explained. “So I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I can see my feet?’ because it would make my life so much easier.” Because of this program, Bagley wants to attend Parsons School of Design or

the Fashion Institute of Technology next year. He’s currently in the middle of prepping his portfolio and applying to colleges. Bagley also mentioned that his dream job is to work for Supreme, a skateboarding shop and clothing brand based in Manhattan. “I have the ability to sew, make my own clothes and fix buttons; those are valuable skills,” he said. SBCHS’s springtime participants will be attending “Teens Take the Met!” again on May 31 and will show their latest innovative creations. Harris said in March that Pioneer Works plans to work on a 10- to 12-session program cycle for Fall 2019 with a different group of students. She also mentioned that she’s already reached out to someone who’s a consultant in fashion law. “I don’t think most students know that there are many entry points in fashion beyond being a designer or working in a retail store,” she explained. “We’re really trying to build it out and make it more thoughtful and intentional in terms of exposure.”

judges including Heritage Radio Network’s “Life’s a Banquet” podcast hosts Bretton Scott and Zahra Tangorra, Gotham Burger Social Club member Michael Puma and FDNY Engine 286 Firefighter and MasterChef Latino finalist Chef Angel Robles. Winners in the “crowd favorite” and “judges’ favorite” categories will receive a trophy.

The event on May 17 will be emceed by WABC meteorologist Amy Freeze and FDNY Ladder 4 Firefighter and MasterChef finalist Chef Eric Howard.

Other highlights from the event will include live music from the Staten Island based FDNY rock trio One-Eyed Jacks, themed raffle baskets, a 50/50 raffle and a unique opportunity to bid on a private dinner party catered by New Orleans firefighter and Cavan Restaurant Chef Nathan Richard at Friends of Firefighters’ historic Red Hook firehouse.

The chili made by the various firehouses will be judged by a panel of

The kids at the event will be able to enjoy a firefighter helmet giveaway, face

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Fireman can cook!

painting, temporary tattooing and a coloring station.

May 2019

Carroll Gardens youngster gets to be a doctor for the day by Erin DeGregorio

ine-year-old Ethan Weitz, from Carroll Gardens, recently got to experience what it’s like to be a doctor for a day — with the official white coat and all. Ethan broke his ulna during Labor Day weekend when he jumped off a swing while playing with a few other kids.

“As a parent it’s such a scary and stressful situation for both watching your child get hurt and the process of not knowing how long it will take and what will it mean,” Ethan’s mother Jessica told this paper. “Cordelia Carter [pediatric orthopedic surgeon who handled Ethan’s case] is unlike any doctor we’ve ever met. These were appointments that Ethan looked forward to— not just because his cast was coming off— but also because she treated him with so

much respect and intelligence. ” Since Ethan was inspired to learn more about the profession, Dr. Carter recently invited him to her office at NYU Langone’s Joan H. & Preston Robert Tisch Center at Essex Crossing. There she showed Ethan a hand and knee model so he could better understand the skeletal system. Ethan added that he and Dr. Carter had some pretty interesting conversations about subjects including how fast a child’s arm grows and why his broken arm had more hair compared to his other arm. He noted that Dr. Carter spoke to him in a “nice way like a grown-up.” Dr. Carter also showed him how to make and remove a cast for a break similar to what he had experienced. Ethan was beaming the entire time,

Dr. Carter shows Ethan how to remove the cast they made together.

and compassionately checked in periodically with his “patient,” a medical assistant, to make sure she was comfortable. He said his favorite part of the whole experience was learning how to put on the cast.

questions, and really wanted to understand everything that was happening. I’m thrilled we were able to enjoy this cast-making activity together as a way to celebrate his recovery and a happy, healthy, and bright future!”

When the short arm cast was set, Dr. Carter and “Dr. Ethan Weitz” signed their names together in black Sharpie against the neon pink-colored fiberglass tape.

Ethan’s now back to playing all his favorite sports after a four-month-long healing process in a soft brace. He told us that, after having these experiences, he might want to become a doctor or even someone who makes medicine, like a pharmaceutical scientist, when he grows up.

“I’m incredibly proud of Ethan for how involved he was as a patient,” Dr. Carter said. “He asked so many great

Pop-Up Living Room Art Exhibit Coming to Red Hook by Erin DeGregorio

“L

ive in your world / Play in ours” is a group exhibition that will present works by New York-based emerging artists who work with different media. This exhibition, curated by Red Hook artist Kyoko Hamaguchi, is meant to simulate common elements of a living space. For example, pedestals will be replaced by a dining table on which several artworks will be displayed.

basis for considering technology and romance in contemporary life. Clark’s sculptures partition and frame the surrounding space – including one that pairs shoji screen paper with casts of natural right-angle volcanic stones, which his grandfather collected and incorporated into the corners of his house. Crookall’s sculptures capture the moment of an object’s life almost like a photograph.

“In this environment, furniture and belongings take on a temporary and ephemeral quality and attachment becomes a liability, rendering the lives of individuals more ethnographically removed, anonymous, and even abstract,” Hamaguchi said.

“Her artificial dying plants ironically point out our desire to make our living situation look fresh by trying to make the inside look like the outside, playing with boundaries,” according to Hamaguchi.

This pop-up living room reflects the instability of living in New York City where people constantly move around and lose track of their neighbors. The show, whose title derives from PlayStation’s famous slogan, will invite the viewer to play around in the space with the understanding that it references the simulation of reality. The nine participating artists are: Theo Chin, Jonathan Yukio Clark, Robin Crookall, Minami Kobayashi, Andy Ralph, Kristina Schmidt, Adam Shaw, Stipan Tadi and Matthew Weiderspon. Chin will present a computer-generated living space populated by figures made from photographs of hand airbrushed analogue drawings. For this show his work refers to a novel as a

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Kobayashi uses egg tempera to paint transitory moments of private domestic interaction. Schmidt capitalizes on the concurrency of ceramics’ vulnerability and stability. Shaw renders time in his painting through the addition of a clock, which begs the question how the familiar becomes unfamiliar. Tadi’s paintings provide a detailed look at the living situation in the neighborhood he grew up in while conjuring memories of our own living situations, past and present. Weiderspon’s piece involves one of the dining table’s supporting legs, which contains burning incense (causing smoke to be released from underneath the table). “[Weiderspon] considers ephemeral sensation to be important in a living space and is attentive to metaphors

of support, the body, natural phenomena and elemental transference,” Hamaguchi said. This site-specific exhibition will be held at Compère Collective at Realty Collective (351 Van Brunt St.), May 12 to 22, everyday from noon to 6 pm. The opening reception will take place on May 12, 6 to 9 pm.

nurture and host diverse artistic practice and thoughtful dialogue, understanding that art should be used as a catalyst for critical thinking. It has hosted a diverse set of exhibitions, events, and artists since opening its doors in 2012 by Victoria Alexander, the owner of Realty Collective.

Compère Collective’s mission is to

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May 2019, Page 11

Project Based Learning grows at P.S. 676 by Nathan Weiser

tudents at P.S. 676 have been exposed to Project Based Learning (PBL), and it is making a difference in their learning and development.

PBL is a learning technique that is starting to become widely used in schools throughout the country. Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by developing a public product or presentation for a real audience. Principal Priscilla Figueroa thought this would be a good idea for her students, so this technique was introduced at the start of the school year. There are three project-based learning weeks throughout the year, and some classrooms have found it beneficial to use on a regular basis. Brittney Hartnett, who is a Crisis Intervention Professional at the school, has already seen many benefits. Some teachers had experience with project-based learning previously. Ms. Konarksi, who teaches a STEM class for grades three through five, has used this method throughout her career because she teaches students who need a multisensory approach to learning. In one STEM classroom, third- through fifth-graders with different learning needs engineered a pulley system that tried to get flour from one end to the other. They had unlimited yarn, tape, two pulleys, three straws, four plastic cups and four pipe cleaners, and multisensory approach was used. Ms. Best and Ms. Graham teach a kindergarten class in the blocks room. They focused on the school building as well as Red Hook as a whole. They used Google Satellite to look at the school and what is around the school. They were looking at a model diagram of the school to try to better visualize the building. “We were hoping that through creating this model we could find out about the rooms, the people and purposes for the rooms,” Ms. Best said. “They are try-

ing to create a model that reflects the school.” “Vocabulary is a big thing,” Ms. Konarski said. “There was an entrance, and that was not a word that folks used, so we added that to our vocabulary chart to try to build up our vocabulary.” Ms. Rogers and Ms. Crisostomo teach a first-grade class that emphasizes LEGOS to help kids with math. This class only had seven students on the day I visited, which allows for a lot of individualized attention. Many of the kids are struggling with learning numbers, especially numbers between 10 and 20. “They can do one through ten, but after that they get kind of confused recognizing what the numbers are,” Ms. Rogers said. “If you ask her what number that is, she may have to use the LEGOS to help recognize what the number is. The LEGOS help them recognize.” This method varies from a normal instruction since it is more hands-on and can allow topics like vocabulary and numbers to sink in faster than they would otherwise. The above three classrooms have the most need for the project-based learning and use it most often with the kids but the whole school will use it in the project-based learning weeks. Ms. Best said that the hands-on approach of using blocks can help with the Englishlanguage learners. “I think what they might be learning about is the same, but the way in which they are learning it is what is changing,” Hartnett said. “Instead of building the structure and designing it, they formerly would have read a book and maybe drawn a picture. Now, they are getting a chance to design and build instead.” According to Hartnett, who is in her first year at the school, with this new approach to learning fewer kids are feeling frustrated and fewer kids are having temper tantrums because they are more engaged and feel like they can learn the content. “We still are reading plenty and doing these other things, but it is just giving them a different way of learning at the

“Fewer kids are feeling frustrated and fewer kids are having temper tantrums because they are more engaged.” Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

PS 676 students working in the Lego Room. (Star-Revue file photo)

same time,” Hartnett said. “You might read the book too, but now you are getting another way of approaching the material, and then the book is making more sense because you understand how it works.” Hartnett has found that more and more schools have tried this method because of the importance of children needing to learn how to solve problems instead of just memorizing information. She thinks that PS 676 is one of the first elementary schools to utilize this method. Hartnett added a few more reasons for this method taking place at PS 676. “We thought this would really prepare them for the future better and it would also help them work on other social and emotional skills like teamwork and building respect for other students,” Hartnett said. “We thought this would help them in different ways and make learning more real-world for them.” There is one more project-based week which will happen in May. Everybody will use some project-based learning during that week. “Some classrooms are going to be trying it more often, trying to use some of these spaces we have like the LEGO room and the block room to do projectbased learning,” Hartnett added. The classrooms that I saw doing project-based learning – the STEM, block and Lego classrooms – will continue project-based learning but their topics will change. For example, the kindergarten class that was looking at a blueprint of the school will do a different project after the April break. When the 2019-2020 academic year starts, the goal is to expand to servicebased projects for a few weeks during the year. Students might work in an area soup kitchen or build a community garden. This would involve learning skills in the classroom but then they would also give back to the community. P.S. 676 is now thinking about what organizations would be the ideal fit for different grade levels.

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676, also known as the Red Hook Neighborhood School, is a public school at 27 Huntington Street. It currently has 130 students pre-K through fifth grade.

The Red Hook Star-Revue is the community newspaper that goes both ways. We work hard to present you with an information and entertaining package of news, events and advertising that makes living in Brooklyn a little more intimate and friendly. We are also here to listen to you. You can send us letters to the editor, that we gladly print, we accept op-ed submissions on interesting topics, and if you have ideas for stories or tips we can use, please let us know. If you happened upon this paper by chance and would like to be able to pick it up near you, drop us a line and we will get a stack of our free newspapers at a convenient location. You can stop by to see us if you like — we are at

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May 2019

Corner of Carroll and Court Named After PS 58 Principal by Erin DeGregorio

pril 1 will forever hold a place in PS 58’s heart and history as school and community came together to coname their street block after former principal Giselle Gault McGee. McGee was principal from 2006 to 2014, during which time she provided school-wide enrichment through ballroom dance, chess, and storytelling using ballet and opera. She also was one of only three forerunners in the Department of Education to launch a French-English Dual Language Program. During her tenure the school grew from 330 to 975 students. McGee was made a Knight in the Order of Academic Palm in 2009 by French Ambassador Pierre Vimont for her work with the dual language program. She also received the Label FrancEducation, a prestigious award given by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At that time, only eight schools worldwide had received the award. McGee was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly before her planned retirement and died two Decembers ago. Enough signatures were collected to rename the corner of Carroll and Court

Red Hook Star-Revue

Streets, a little more than year later.

waiting to be picked up.

A performance by the student orchestra kicked off the afternoon celebration. Principal Katie Dello Stritto then addressed the crowd filled with educators, students, parents, and McGee’s family and friends. “In her words she always said, ‘Put your family first.’ I don’t think I realized that at the time, but what she meant was put others first,” Dello Stritto said. “We were all her family, and we all continue to be her family today.”

“Most days Giselle would invite me into her office and offer me a seat at her table. I felt so important — not just to be in her presence, but because she took the time to sit with me, talk with me and help,” Glazer said. “But what I loved most was our talks; she would ask questions and really listen. She sought my feedback to get an inside look at what kids really thought about what was going on at school. I loved being her private focus group and remembered thinking how amazing it was that our principal wanted to hear our students.”

Superintendent of Community School District 15 Anita Skop, who became friends with McGee after coming to the district in 2009, called McGee a “visionary leader.” “What impressed me most about her was her kindness and loving heart and the joy that she brought to education,” Skop said. “She didn’t just have a vision; she had the ability to inspire people and make wonderful things happen for her children, teachers, the families in her care.” 2016 alumna Mattingly Glazer also shared memories of Giselle, who often spent time with her after school while

After the shiny green sign was unveiled to much applause, McGee’s husband Stephen took a few moments to thank those who had helped to make this day possible. He also recalled that the day prior, March 31, was their wedding anniversary. “Probably one of our first fights as a couple was when she said on our honeymoon, ‘Listen, when I get back to work, they’re having a spring carnival. I couldn’t invite everyone to go to

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the wedding with the faculty and the students, but I’d like to have them all see me in my wedding dress,’” he explained to the crowd. “So, when we got back, we went to the spring carnival – me in my tuxedo and her in her gown. It was tough.” After he and the crowd laughed at the memory, Stephen added, “Obviously, with everybody here today, she made everybody feel well, needed and appreciated – and I know you all made her feel that way too.” The ceremony closed with everyone singing “Happy Birthday” to Giselle, who would’ve turned 64 that very day, in both English and French. Attendees, who wore McGee’s favorite color orange in her honor, also had the opportunity write birthday cards and notes of remembrance for a display (later presented to McGee’s family) and ate cookies in a cookie swap, which McGee was famously known for during her time at 58.

May 2019, Page 13

 ART, CULTURE, BOOKS AND MORE FUN STUFF FROM BROOKLYN AND BEYOND 

STARREVUE ARTS

INSIDE: • vintage travel • eleanor kipping’s strange fruit • marjana & the forty thieves • review: i am - i am robot • review: Capernaum

music section begins page 21 photo by Gaia Squarci

Red Hook Star-Revue

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May 2019, Page 15

SPOTLIGHT

“Seikaiha & Ciconia Byciana” by the Esontian painter/DJ Tarrvi Laaman. At Kentler Drawing Space’s Flatfiles.

Pink Recipe, a piece by Anton Zolotov at Peninsula Gallery. Materials: House paint, flower extracts, oatmeal, water on paper

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May 2019

SAL McINTYRE

Vintage Travel Posters

[LEFT] Marc Chagall – Bay of Angels, SIGNED Mourlot stone lithograph 1962. [CENTER] Pierre Fix-Masseau – Venice, offset lithograph 1981. [RIGHT] Roger Soubie – De Chamonix au Montenvers, stone lithograph 1982

he act of traveling to a foreign place has the unique ability to open the mind and expand the life experience of the traveller in a way that no other activity can quite replicate— leaving us with a wholly altered state of being and a complexified presence that works its way into our very identity. Such a wealth of evolution then follows us throughout our lives, influencing the ways in which we live, work, act and enjoy ourselves, that it is again awakened with fresh vigor on merely coming across an object or picture associated with the travel, prompting a memory that floods with a wave of nostalgia. Vintage travel posters hit precisely this mark, seemingly pulling at every heartstring available— and with more than just the referenced location as magnetic agent, the artistic style employed in this sector of design art inhabits a territory of powerful allure.

ing exquisitely with his choice color gradients and tones. Works like Venice, a first edition printing from 1981, with the iconic and effortless arrangement of forms, seem to be flying like the winged Lion of Venice it references. Orient - Express and Exactitude are no exceptions, acting almost as portals into the times and places of distant memory and inclination.

d’Azur is as simple as calling forth

Even if one has not been to Nice,

the dreamlike apparitions inspired

the desire to visit has now cer-

by the mystery of the place itself.

tainly fledged.

Roger Soubie – De Chamonix au Montenvers, stone lithograph 1982 Roger Soubie created De Chamonix au Montenvers, one of the most oft-seen travel posters featuring a truly magnificent landscape— “Le Chemin de fer à crémaillère” was designed with an additional wheel that hooked into an added rail to maintain grip on the sloping and steep climb in the French Alps from the town of Chamonix to Montenvers, 1.2 kilometers. Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is the largest glacier in France and a very big attraction year round— though a hundred years old, the train is still in operation, something that anyone recognizing the sun reflecting off those otherworldly peaks knows.

Marc Chagall – Bay of Angels, SIGNED Mourlot stone lithograph 1962

Pierre Fix-Masseau – Venice, And in Bay of Angels, a signed offset lithograph 1981 and dated 1962 Mourlot stone Pierre Fix-Masseau had a profound sensibility with poster design, his stark and simple shapes contrast-

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lithograph work by Marc Chagall, promoting travel to the French southern city of Nice and the Cote

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May 2019, Page 17

FEATURE

STRANGE FRUIT AT FIVEMYLES

Diehl Edwards

with the art and its message.

How does one make art from catastrophe? Look to Eleanor Kipping for her answer. Strange Fruit, a hybridized art performance and installation piece, is a sculptural, theatrical, and poetic representation of Black oppression throughout American history. Hundreds of black plastic afro picks dusted with gold leaf are suspended from the ceiling by transparent fishing line. They hang at various, scattered heights, filling the room like a cloud. Kipping sits at the center in a white Sunday dress, on a white rocking chair. Her back is to the door of the display room. Ambient sounds from outside—the bang of roll-up gates, the bump of a passing car’s stereo—blend into the creaks of her chair and the shuffling of guests circling the exhibit’s edge. For several hours, she reads selfcomposed poems and sings fragments of songs that interrogate racial identity and the secondclass citizenry experienced by generations of African-Americans. Long silences between poems promote reflection and observation. Inside, one has the feeling of having entered the mind of the artist herself. Kipping’s voice, at times melodic, at times pained, is always gripping, and holds the viewer’s attention, preventing the all-too-common impulse to glance at and pass over visual art. This is part of the power of integrating performance and sculpture, creating many angles from which to engage

Three Edison lightbulbs glint off the gold leafing and cast distorted and elongated shadows of the hair picks on the ground and walls, exaggerating the dimensions of the space. Each small motion of a hanging pick is doubled and tripled by the corresponding movement of its shadows. After a moment, you realize you aren’t just outside the installation gazing at it but surrounded by its projections. Sitting around her as Kipping by turns recites and grows quiet, the visitors’ eyes are led to wander through the hanging maze of afro combs. As one stays in the space, the depth of the symbolism emerges. The hair picks begin to appear like human heads and torsos, delicately swaying and twirling, and the reference of Kipping’s title returns to you: Strange Fruit. The song popularized by Billie Holiday was inspired by a 1937 poem of the same name. Her rendition went on to inspire much music and literature interrogating the morbid imagery. Kipping’s art honors and expands that legacy, incorporating both modern day and ancient materials. Her chair and outfit are reminiscent of an earlier century and the mass-produced plastic products are juxtaposed against the gold, about which the artist says signifies the wealth lying at the root of America’s colonial history and the slave trade itself. Kipping says her intention for the piece is to be

“an ancestral plain – a space in between here and there, past and present, alive and dead. For some it might suggest an altar, for others a grave […] It’s both inside and outside, it’s a meeting place, a place of rest.” Yet despite the atmosphere of sacredness, she doesn’t want bowed head reverence. She wants to break the line between art and the viewer and encourages the space to be interactive. During the hours she isn’t performing, her notebook and its handwritten poems are left on the rocking chair for others to sit and read, to themselves or aloud. It’s an act of vulnerability, a surrender of artistic control, though without forfeiting the artistic power and impact of the piece. On the contrary, it amplifies it, pulling the viewer in. Here, Kipping is not exposing a concern isolated to herself, but addressing a condition that touches everyone who shares a space, be it a gallery or a nation. The exhibit is on display at FiveMyles, a non-profit gallery located at 558 St. John’s Place, Crown Heights, through April 28th, with performances by the artist to be held Thursday, April 18th at 6:30pm and Saturday, April 27th at 4pm. For more information, visit www.fivemyles.org/eleanorkipping

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WINE & SPIRITS

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wetwhistlewines.com

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May 2019

REVIEWS TARGET MARGIN THEATER’S MARJANA AND THE FORTY THIEVES IS CHARMING, BUT DISJOINTED. Written by Erika Veurink “Marjana and The Forty Thieves” is a modern retelling from the minds of the Target Margin Theater Company of The One Thousand and One Nights, directed by David Herskovits. Broken into three distinct acts, each with a unique style of storytelling, the play enthusiastically immerses the viewer in a tactile world of storytale. The collaborative, unbridled energy and years of preparation feel palpable in the production. A pillar of storytelling is turned on its head, handed a new protagonist, and dressed down in pedestrian language. The play shines its brightest when it’s not trying to. Its earnest nature is endearing and, if you let it be, transporting. Historically, the story has centered on Ali Baba, an unassuming man who stumbles into a cave belonging to forty thieves, stuffed full of their treasure. He takes some of what is “doubly stolen” and returns to his wife. Seeking vengeance, the thieves plot to destroy Ali Baba and his household. Luckily, his slave girl, Marjana, is crafty and quick, no match for a load of hot-headed crooks. She foils their plans, preserving her master and his house, and becomes the quiet hero of the story and this production. An ensemble of deft, beautiful actors carries the stories with confidence and passion. They leap from platforms scattered across the stage–a tented, carpeted space filled with blue light and slouchy pillows. But it’s not the elaborate face makeup or choreographed running about that speaks the loudest. It’s the moments of unforeseen intimacy – two sisters preparing to save the young women of the kingdom, the glances exchanged between two brothers, and Marjana’s utter allegiance carried in her posture alone – that make up for this sometimes jumbled interpretation. Viewers can expect to check their coats and bags, along with their expectations of a fourth wall, at the door. Actors, with varying degrees of poignancy, address audience members both audibly and through searing eye contact. In the second act, all five actors of the ensemble drop their personas and kindly adjust theatergoers into small groups to explain how these stories came to be from a seat while serving tea and snacks, a la storytime. It’s fun, but a bit distracting, as one of the five actors let out an overzealous operatic progression during our story’s climax. The final act leads into the homespun humor this ensemble obviously feels very comfortable with. Everyone is a part of the performance–the man smiling sweetly with his tray of tea, the stagehands marching across the space with signs signifying location changes, and even the bopping sound mixer, at one point sticking a branch into his shirt to act as a tree.

photos by Gaia Squarci

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What starts as delightfully disjointed morphs into a perhaps overly intimate tale and ends the exact way this play should have: with Marjana’s rightful place in the spotlight. The ensemble feels comfortable with the space and the interactions; the only issue is figuring how to get an audience on board. But once all in, the play proves to be an amusing, albeit fragmented, exercise in the ancient art of storytelling.

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May 2019, Page 19

REVIEWS

Local Film: I am - I am Robot

David Mark Speer Independent filmmaker Risha Gorig’s visually arresting opus, “I am – I am Robot,” was screened last Sunday evening at the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music in Red, Hook Brooklyn. The film is an aggressively nonlinear narrative relying on powerful images and sounds (ranging from random squawks and computerized buffering noise to melancholy female voices murmuring in song) and hypnotizes the viewer as we are guided inside/out and upside down across familiar, yet simultaneously disorienting vistas. In the main, this film challenges the viewer to focus and to create context where none seems to exist. By repeating a series of images (for example, a city skyline seen as if looking through a car’s moon roof) Ms. Gorig uses atomization and the palette of the kaleidoscope to create a mantra-like meditative state that is both visual and sonic. By turns, the film is a devastating comment on the human condition, as it is lived in the 21st century – the constant blending and melding of the digital realms and our “real” world, and explores the wrenching struggle to maintain focus and one’s own individuality. It is clear from the prominence given to sequences centering on the repeated assertions of identity (“I know who I am,” and “My name is Eve,” are examples woven throughout the vignettes) that this is the challenge of our time. Essentially, how do we remain human when even our understanding

few disturbing scenes, the violence men visit upon women in the name of desire/ lust is drawn out for full examination, and even so, Eve knows who she is. Never defined solely through victimhood or as an object of the male gaze, the various incarnations of Eve (a young gamin, a middleaged woman preening before a mirror, a woman being brutalized and beaten with a hammer) tie the films disparate images and swirls of digital effluvia together in ways that are moving, surprising and startling. As the film builds toward its resolution, the first person singular POV we’ve been provided clearly becomes the vehicle for a message of universality, that we are all one on an essential level, no matter how prevalent the machine has become or how it will evolve. One of the best things “I am – I am Robot” has going for it is its use of Brooklyn as character (sharp eyed viewers will recognize a few Red Hook watering holes and the streets of the section as well) and how the entire piece folds in on itself, yet leaves the viewer with a feeling of expanded possibilities and we may all one day win the battle to be simply human. “I am – I am Robot” is a provocative, important work of video art and deserves the widest possible audience.

still taken from I am- - I am Robot trailer of basic values like beauty, youth, desire and identity are assaulted from every possible (and impossible) angle by the siren song of the machine. Ms. Gorig’s film posits a world where God isn’t dead, but there is no discernible proof of a divine hand at work. Through lyrically staged bursts of violence and viscera, the bone is exposed and a metaphorical razor is pulled quite literally across an eyeball. In a

Capharaüm is an Anthem of Resilience Erika Veurink The title “Capernaum” (Capharaüm) comes from the Biblical city condemned to hell in the book of Matthew. The film is set in Beirut, a city also without order or peace. And certainly without mercy. The resulting chaos swirls in a world created by Nadine Labaki, one of harrowing circumstances, brought to life by the honesty and charisma of one little boy.

photos from sonyclassics.com/capernaum/#gallery

The main character, a 12-yearold named Zain played by Zainal Rafeea, is the linchpin of the entire film. The story seems to rush through his blood, his entire being wrapped up in the character of Zain. We meet him and his parents in a courtroom in the opening scene, as he attempts to sue them for allowing him to be born. What unfolds is an argument spelled out in perpetual motion, unwinding in tempo, in defense of his shocking claim. Dripping in empathy, the story hinges on human interaction, soaring moments of compassion and dark flashes of evil only free will can inspire. Overhead shots place the viewer directly in the

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center of the dire reality of Lebanese life. Crouching, lithe shots move the viewer on the streets with Zain. His observant nature becomes that of the audience, his furrowed brow and imitated adult gestures to veil whatever childlike innocence is left set the scene. The loss of his young sister to a marriage in exchange for a few chickens compels him to leave and forge a life of his own. The family he creates, with an Ethiopian refugee, Rahil, and her baby, Yonas, proves to be a thing worth staying for. The film is an odyssey, certainly. At times, it feels like such, dwelling on dire scenes for almost an uncomfortable duration, but by the end, the audience's fifteen minute standing ovation at Cannes feels too short. The time frame can be hard to work out, the plot loose in some areas, but the genius of the work shines through these cracks. It’s in the end, the promise of a childhood restored, that the viewer finds herself exhaling properly for the first time in roughly two hours. It is an anthem of resilience, a dictum of human struggle, and in the end, a hope for compassion.

May 2019

STARÂŞREVUE MUSIC

đ&#x;&#x17D;¸

orphan guitars by mike cobb

arroll Gardens, Brooklyn - Long known as a charming but quiet enclave bet-

recently gained new musical of-

ter suited to families with children

a shop with altruistic aspirations:

than rockers, Carroll Gardens has

ferings. Just off Hamilton Parkway near the corner of Clinton Street is Orphan Guitars.

reviews, previews, happenings in the neighborhoods you love

usician and proprietor Dwight Weeks has a vision: to sell cool guitars at a fair price with profits going to kids in need. Though his retail experience is minimal, his background with bands and desire to do good drive his enterprise.

retail experience. I was in marketing for a department store for a bunch of years. As I once wrote in a song, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I spent a little time in a cubicle. Left my brains empty and my wallet full.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Besides that, I'm a dad in the neighborhood. I live a block away from the store.â&#x20AC;?

Weeks explains, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I've been playing rock and roll for almost thirty years. Made some records, toured the States and Europe a bunch. Had the most success with The Bamboo Kids. I don't have much

Initially Weeks had hot dogs on the brain. Luckily his wife intervened and now local musicians and kids can buy guitars instead of

continued on page 23

arlsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;BUZZâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at C ohn J Âť ards aly H Âť rass G on s irl G E: INSID AR GU ST MO AL N CA WE T EA GR G IN TH ME SO Âť Public Records S NG TI LIS G GI Âť usic M ave C Âť D AR HE T Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VE HA U YO E ANTE Red Hook Star-Revue

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May 2019, Page 21

Girls on Grass by mike cobb GIRLS ON GRASS IS A FOURPIECE ROCK BAND BASED IN BROOKLYN, NY. THEY HAVE A 50/50 MALE-FEMALE LINEUP, A RADIO-FRIENDLY, GARAGE-ROCK SOUND WITH JANGLY GUITARS, POP HOOKS, AND SMART SONGWRITING. They recently recorded their 11 song LP titled “Dirty Power” at Cowboy Technical Services in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, available on Bandcamp and at their live shows. I spoke to lead singer-songwriterguitarist Barbara Endes and drummer Nancy Polstein about their new record, video, and show opening for Canadian psychedelic country rockers The Sadies at Union Pool on Tuesday, April 2. SR: Who are some of your major influences? BE: Classic country and early rock ‘n’ roll like Buck Owens, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Janis Martin to name a few. As a kid I loved the early R.E.M. records, later X and the Gun Club.... I still listen to that early LA punk stuff a lot. I love the Mekons. NP: ‘60s British Invasion stuff, and singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. Plus, The

Page 22 Red Hook Star-Revue

Flying Burrito Brothers, Dwight Yoakam, The Pretenders, The Replacements, Tom Petty, The Band. I’m definitely more of a songwriter’s drummer.

ative, came up with some beautiful vocal harmony ideas... the recording sessions with him were efficient and full of brainstorming and collaboration.

SR: Rock & roll tends to be a dudedominated world, but your group is unique in having a 50/50 femalemale split. Thoughts about this & being women in rock?

The video “Down at the Bottom” was shot primarily out at Coney Island, which was a good fit with the water imagery, themes of non-exclusivity, and doing your own thing.

BE: It just kind of happened this way. It's nice to have some balance in the band in terms of gender, although I'm not sure we tend to follow stereotypical gender roles.

SR: What’s your relationship with

SR: Can you tell me about your new album & video? BE: I think my politics came to the fore more this time as a reaction to the elections and all the bullshit since. I also put my gay vegan self out there more this time lyrically. In terms of instrumentation we kept things pretty straight-up, but David and I have worked a lot on complementing one another on guitar, which developed our sound heading into the sessions. We recorded with Eric Ambel at his studio in Greenpoint. Eric was really great at helping hone our arrangements and distill the songs down to their core. He was also super cre-

If playing music feels good, never stop doing it no matter what society or anyone says.

The Sadies? BE: I've been friends with their bass player Sean on social media for a while. I hounded him for a shared gig long enough that his management eventually wanted to let him off the hook! They’re my favorite live band, period. SR: How have you seen the NY music scene change & where's it at today? NP: When I started performing in the early 90's, there were so many

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venues like CBGB’s. The Rodeo Bar, Nightingales, Ludlow Bar and later, The Lakeside Lounge. All those places are gone now, but this is NYC – always reinventing itself, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for creativity. SR: What’s your relationship with WFMU? BE: Dave Mandl (bass player) is a DJ there. WFMU has been super supportive. The culture there is like a brain trust made up of really funny people with excellent taste. WFMU is a cultural miracle, and everyone should support it! SR: Any words of wisdom to girls who want to rock? BE: See as many live performances as possible (online for now?) and if playing music feels good, never stop doing it no matter what society or anyone says. NP: Play along with music you like a lot, look for opportunities to play with musicians who have more experience than you, and believe in yourself regardless of any noise that says otherwise. For more information about the band, see their website: www.girlsongrassband.com.

May 2019

Stefan Zeniuk Halyard’s is a low-key bar in the heart of Gowanus. Known for its “local-bar” attitude, good but not pretentious cocktails, and light and simple food, it’s got a great neighborhood comfortability that is charming and relaxed. Quietly, however, it’s been doubling as a great place for music, and has been turning into a musicians’ hang. For over two years, there has been a house band, followed by a jam session, every Tuesday night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. In February, drummer Diego Voglino and saxophonist Adam Kolker started curating a full night of music every Tuesday. The first band has a set from 8 to 9:30, a second group from 10 to 11, and then a jam session from 11 to 1 a.m., thus cultivating a vibrant atmosphere. And the talent pool of incredible musicians in the

neighborhood is no laughing matter either. May 7 is Devin Gray, and Mike Baggetta, May 14 is the Peck Almond Quartet and Adam Kolker trio (featuring Billy Hart), May 21 is Jim Whitney followed by Ben Monder, Jon Cowherd, Gary Wang and Diego Voglino. A cavalcade of heavyweights on an offnight (Tuesdays), combined with a late-night jam session, has all the makings of a great series. Musician “hangs” have always been one of the life-bloods of this city. In yesteryear, neighborhoods in this city were always stamped with the artists or art scenes that embraced their late-night bars and clubs. A small, cozy, unassuming bar such as Halyard’s has just the trappings of a neighborhood staple, and I look forward to this place being a weekly regular spot for many musicians and fans. Halyard’s is located at 406 3rd Ave. For more info, see their website: https://barhalyards.com.

Orphan guitars, continued large window facing the parkway reveals classic rock posters and beautiful “orphan” guitars. The arresting effect enticed me to me pull over and enter Dwight’s shop immediately where I ran into buddy and bassist Dan Green, who sometimes works there. Bumping into old friends, gawking at guitars, and geeking out on music is a great feeling that’s welcome in Carroll Gardens. With Almost Ready Records right next door, it’s clear there’s something cool happening in this little corner of Brooklyn.

weenies. However, tube steaks may still be on the horizon. “About four months ago, my family and I were on a little walk around the 'hood and we passed the old Brooklyn Hot Dogs place on 9th that's been shuttered for a while. I stopped in my tracks and said, ‘I'm going to open a guitar store in there and sell hot dogs too, and it will be called Hot Dog Guitars.’ (I love hot dogs.) And that was it! Except the guy wouldn't rent that space to me and my business-savvy wife said forget the hot dogs. So, I replaced hot dogs with deciding to use the proceeds to help underserved kids get some music lessons,” explains Weeks. So how does it all work? Weeks seeks recommendations from middle school music teachers in the area for students who could benefit from music lessons but might not be able to afford the cost. “Beyond that I'd like to put together a few laptops with the right software for producing things more in the hip-hop vein and let some kids use my space as a sort of supervised junior collective on the days I'm not open,” he adds.

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For those interested in buying, Orphan Guitars has a great quality-toprice ratio. My buddy Dan scored a cherry red Fender Squire P-Bass with stock pickups for $200. A cool bass and a good deal. I tried a cool Telecaster knockoff and an imitation Les Paul, both of which played and sounded great. In addition to helping kids, Weeks says, “I always wanted a guitar store that sold awesome guitars for around $500 to exist in NYC. Everything is crazy overpriced and collector-driven or hipster-driven. I wanted it to be like when I was young, a relaxed place with an old rocker putz-

ing around (me) where kids could come and hang and play and get the great guitars they need to start out. Grown-ups too. I won't hang anything on the wall that couldn't be a working guitar for a musician.” Indeed, Weeks’s walls are what caught my eye in the first place. A

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For those who want to contribute, Weeks says, “We take donations of any kind of guitars or amps. It all goes to the kids.” And for the hungry he adds, “There's still a real good chance I'm gonna grill up some hot dogs on nice days.” What’s not to love?

May 2019, Page 23

John Carlson’s “Buzz” At Public Records Stefan Zeniuk On May 15th, John Carlson’s “Buzz” will be performing at Public Records. One of the newer and more promising rooms in a city that continually refuses to be put down by the exploding real estate development, it’s a room that fuses experimental and progressive programming with a love of, well, records and recorded music. Long ago, in another time, the act of finding and discovering music was a sacred and personal one. The thrill of discovering that special LP in the back of a dusty bin. The mixtapes we would make to share our unique discoveries. That mysterious process of trying to find more information about an artist (before the internet). The adventure and search made musicians and their albums that much more delicious, and that adventure of discovery was part of the journey as a listener and music lover. Public Records is fusing the burgeoning resurgence of interest in records, and high-quality audio listening, with live music and progressive, non-conforming programming. Instead of using a Spotify playlist during off-hours, they have record collectors, spinning their collections and their fa-

something great I can almost guarantee you haven’t heard:

vorite discoveries and deepest cuts. This cultivates an all-inclusive atmosphere of respect and reverence for the sonic space and meaning in the room. Trumpeter John Carlson is bringing his group, “Buzz,” to the space on May 15. He’ll be joined by Eric Hipp (sax), Shawn McGoin (bass) and Pheeroan Aklaff (drums). Carlson is a perfect voice to be playing in this room. Though he’s equally at home playing in groups led by Machito, Julius Hemphill, Cab Calloway, or Slavic Soul Party, he’s most comfortable playing free improvised music, where his voice is able to really shine. That doesn’t just take chops, but mindfulness, awareness, consciousness of the room, the moment, and the place in which the music is being made. This is what Public Records was built for, and this is the type of listening space the city desperately needs. The group will be playing improvised music that will wind in and out of new and old compositions. Carlson will be joined by legendary drummer Aklaff, whose relationships with folks like Cecil Taylor, Henry Threadgill, and Oliver Lake make him a formidable collaborator. Alongside bandmates from Carlson’s long-running group, “Free Range Rat,”

Photo by R.I. Sutherland-Cohen Hipp on tenor sax and McGoin on bass will round out the group to an exciting and adventurous night of music in what promises to be a great addition to the city’s musical landscape. Public Records is located at 233 Butler St. For more info, their website is https://publicrecords.nyc.

slack mallard

Mike Cobb Here’s something great I can almost guarantee you haven’t heard. Antifolk busking band Slack Mallard are a brilliant bunch of “lazy ducks” from deep southwestern England. They pick up phonetically and musically where their former group Phat Bollard left off. These rag tag lads first met in Calstock, a town by the Tamar River in the lush and wild region of Cornwall. They make their living playing street corners which they reach by travelling the UK in their lorries (vans), often with their dogs and sometimes kids in tow. With five excellent CDs under their belts, their latest release is a bit of a departure as the original unit, Phat Bollard, recently parted ways due to creative differences. Today, the core group consists of Adam Whittaker on guitar, Aaron Barnes on Mandolin,

Brian Dunbar on percussion, and Ash on banjo. Everybody writes, and everybody sings. Their most recent release Small Plot Changes speaks to the upheaval within England, global society, and perhaps the group itself. While sonically their sound is sometimes reminiscent of classic British folk groups like Fairport Convention, their politically charged and defiant lyrics place them more within the anti-folk cannon. The group’s cheeky humor and witty turns of phrase show that they’re onto something unique. As has been the tradition on their last three recordings, the album starts with a spoken word piece penned by Ash, here called “Nothing”, which attempts to explain the disintegration of the universe all because “a young human’s love decided to go out with Ricky from #7 who everyone in the park knows is a nob.” “Tories” dissects the hypocrisies of English elites complete with plenty of pisstaking via sound clips and cruel but well-deserved imitations of the upper crust. “Locked Outside” is a rousing number which has the classic skiffle sound for which Phat Bollard were known. “When You’re Gone” is a droll statement on reality complete with a rousing chorus,

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faux lip blown horns, and a welcome swipe at our president. And you can’t take it with it you when you’re gone Counting on an afterlife, yet another con And though I think that Donald Trump’s a prick He’s just another symptom of a system that is sick “Gospel Boat Song” is a feelgood number that speaks to the joys of floating downstream with old friends. There’s a video on YouTube worth checking out, and for those interested in purchasing the band’s music, go to: www.slackmallard.bandcamp.com This writer is trying to bring Slack Mallard over to the USA to tour. Anyone interested in helping can contact me at: michaelcobb70@gmail.com

May 2019

Cave Music at crown finish caves Mike Cobb

facilities look like, follow Crown Finish Caves on Instagram.

In the 19th century, Brooklyn was home to more than 48 breweries. Sadly, most of that dried up in the 1970’s, but with the nationwide resurgence of all things local, cheese, beer, and music are all making a big comeback with Brooklyn being a hot spot.

For those interested in buying cheese, check out the “Where to Find Us” section on their website: www.crownfinishcaves.com. Crown Finish Caves also donates 50% of all cheese pop-up proceeds to a different charity each month.

Once used by Nassau Brewery as tunnels for fermenting and cooling beer, today Crown Finish Caves is a cheese aging facility and NYS licensed dairy plant. Located 30 feet below the street at 925 Bergen Street, Crown Finish Caves has an average year-round temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal environment for aging cheese. The centuries old practice is called “affinage”, and while prominent throughout Europe, is more of a recent phenomenon in Brooklyn. Crown Finish Caves receives young or “green” cheese about one week old that is still in the process of ripening and developing a rind. They receive most of their cheese from artisan producers based in the US but also cheese from Italy and Spain. Their main tunnel currently holds about 28,000 pounds of cheese. Producers include Spring Brook Farm from Reading, Vermont; Grafton Village Cheese Company from Grafton and Brattleboro, Vermont; Old Chatham Sheepherding Company from Old Chatham, NY; Quattro Portoni from Lombardy, Italy; Consider Bardwell Farm from West Pawlet, Vermont; Sugar House Creamery from Upper Jay, New York; and Corcuera from Toledo, Spain. In order to prevent contamination to the cheese, food tours are currently unavailable. But to get an idea of what the daily operations, cheese aging techniques, and the

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So where does music fit in? With an underground space sure not to bother neighbors, this unique locale presents Cave Music, a bimonthly subterranean concert series located in the intimate setting of one of the tunnels. A small, simple space under one of the support arches provides the stage where musicians perform. Artists tend to be acoustic folk; whose style lends itself well to the setting and echoes pleasantly throughout the caves. Past performances include Queen Esther, Taylor Ashton, Jefferson Hamer, Hubby Jenkins, and more. Upcoming performances including Vol.9 on Thursday, May 2 featuring Nadine Landry, Sammy Lind, and special guests. Cheesy food and beverage are available for purchase at all events. Seating is tight and tickets are popular and go fast. To stay up to date on shows and pop-ups, check their Instagram and Facebook feeds or sign up for their newsletter Notes From The Underground. Crown Finish Caves is also working with FRESHTIX to hold a raffle for a few tickets at their pop-up cheese shop events. Cheese, wine, and music together in a historical structure prove that Brooklyn never ceases to surprise. And there’s nothing cheesy about that!

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May 2019, Page 25

ARTS CALENDAR May 1

In Carroll Gardens, Cathouse Proper celebrates its fifth anniversary with “FUNeral in Cathouse Proper: Life to Art to Life” running through June 2. The name is appropriate as the gallery originated in 2013 in an East Williamsburg funeral parlor. Founding director David Dixon moved the gallery to its current locale in 2016. The exhibition includes two massive plaster fresco paintings interpretations of the Cathouse logo, which includes “harvestings” or work cut from gallery walls. 524 Court Street. Open 12-6pm, Friday-Sunday.

May 2

In Chelsea’s The Kitchen, the longrunning nonprofit hosts the indierock icon Stephen Malkmus. It’s an intriguing place well worth the ride to the city. “Groove Denied” is Malkmus’ latest album which makes a glorious use of software sequencers and distorters without losing lyrical complexity. It’s a more lo-fi turn away from Pavement, the band Malkmus fronted through the ‘90s. Purists will cringe. Music lovers will rejoice. 512 West 19th Street. Shows at 7:30 and 10pm. GA is $35.

May 3

NARS Foundation launches two new exhibitions for May. “Chromatic Reveries” features four genre-defying artists hailing from “foreign” countries: Audrée Anid, Nicholas Cueva, Vincent Dermody, and Darryl Westly. Curated by Mi-

chael Fleming, Olivia Swider, and Rachel Tretter, “Chromatic Reveries” plays and complicates surfaces to imbricated memory. The other exhibition, “Asymmetry,” features the Korean-American artist Tai Hwa Goh’s explorations into the tensions between opposites. 201 46th St. Open 10am-6pm, MondayFriday.

May 4

Peninsula Art Space closes its “Viel Feind, viel Ehr” exhibition today. Our reporter Christien Shangraw liked reviewing it last month, concluding, “When you get there, remember to look up. You’ll see, as I did at the show’s opening, two bright parrots (of latex on polyurethane resin and epoxy with steel hardware), one purplish and one lemonish, overseeing the gallery from their perches near the ceiling. They’re by Jerry Blackman.” 352 Van Brunt St. Open 12-7pm, Saturday and Sunday.

May 5

And speaking of Peninsula Art Space, the gallery welcomes the artist Anton Zolotov for a twomonth run. “Playing with Fire” looks at Kurt Cobain’s influence on isolation and teenage age and yes, it’s contagious. 352 Van Brunt St. Open 12-7pm, Saturday and Sunday.

May 5

The equally loved and loathed Frieze Art Fair ends after a threeday romp around Randall’s Island.

May 6

As part of New York Opera Fest, Regina Opera Company in Sunset Park stages several weekend performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s classic “Il Trovartore” (“The Troubador”). Set during a civil war between territories in 15th century Spain, it’s the story of war, love, and revenge Conducted by Gregory Ortega and staged by Linda Lehr, this performance is in Italian with English supertitles. May 6, the company offers a free “sneak peek” at 730pm. GA for other performances is $25 and $5 for teens.

May 10

25 years after the Rwandan genocide, MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts) presents “Rwanda Retold,” a reckoning with the genocide as well as a glimpse into modern Rwanda. Curated by the artist collective Envision Rwanda, this exhibition features emerging artists from Rwanda, including Iddy Basengo, Seleman, Fabrice Girihirwe, Bruno Iradukunda, Crista Uwase, Paul Mugisha, Franck Mabano, Angelo Kwizera, Karan Wiseman, Celine Uwineza, and Remy Iradukunda. The exhibition ends May 22. Artery Galleries at 80 Hanson Place. See website for various hours.

May 10

Ground Floor kicks off Earth Day with a solo show by Angelica Bergamini. “From the City to the Cosmos” creates objects entirely with recycled paper. 10% of proceeds

for unframed works will go to 350. org, a global warming fighting organization that supports renewable energy. 343 5th St. Reception May 17, 5-9pm.

May 10

Starting May 10, Pioneer Works hosts a weekend summit on art and cryptocurrency. The “Ethereal Summit” will discuss the ethics, functions, and future applications of blockchain. 159 Pioneer St. GA starts at $185.

May 11

Ortega y Gasset Projects presents a two-person show by Norm Paris and Mark Shetabi. “Ghosts” looks at spectral phenomena through large-scale drawings and sculptures. Lauren Whearty curated. 363 3rd Ave. Opening reception May 11 6-9pm.

May 11

PICTURES: Pop up artist coming to BWAC between 5/11-6/9 April Feldman. Today, Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition (BWAC) launches its first exhibition of the year with “Spring! Coiled & Ready!” The show features work of art made through recycled materials. The opening reception is May 18, 1-6pm. BWAC also features an affordable art popup show. 499 Van Brunt St. Open weekends 1-6pm.

May 16

The Waterfront Barge and Museum launches its first theater

production of the season with “I Migration,” an original play by the theater company Falconworks. 290 Conover St. GA is $25.

May 16

The innovative sound artist Holly Herndon performs at Pioneer Works. 159 Pioneer St. GA is $25.

May 19

FiveMyles celebrates 20 years with a benefit exhibition. Tickets to the benefit event include one piece of art donated to the gallery from over 80 artists, including Carol Salmonson and A.V. Ryan. Reception April 27, 6-8pm.

May 19

It’s the last day to see the plein air artist Susan Greenstein at 440 Gallery. Her show, “In a New Light,” features new works on paper from travels around Italy, Mexico, and (of course) New York. 440 6th Ave. Open Thursday-Friday 4-7pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am-7pm.

May 31 - June 1

Red Hook Fest this year plans on being the biggest ever. Now in its 26th year, this year’s dance groups include The Dance Cartel, Ballet Hispánico, Its Showtime, and Batalá. In line with previous years, Red Hook residents can take advantage of free barbecue, scavenger hunts, readings, and kayaking around Louis Valentino Park and Pier. The major cookout is on May 31. Most performances are on June 1. Ferris St & Coffey St.

MUSIC CALENDAR RED HOOK IS WARMING UP FINALLY AND BOY OH BOY ARE THERE SHOWS! This month we have re-formatted the calendar by date and hope that makes it easier to figure out what is going on on any given night! Highlights include German Free Jazz Pioneer Peter Brötzmann at Pioneer Works on Monday May 20th, Max Johnson at Sunny’s on May 7th, and Sam Ospovat’s Record Release at Ibeam on May 11. Do yourself a favor and go see some music, hope to see ya out and about. - jaimie branch.

VENUE LISTING Bene’s RECORD SHOP 360 Van Brunt St. 718-855-0360 PIONEER WORKS 159 Pioneer St. pioneerworks.com IBEAM 168 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Ave. ibeambrooklyn.com ROCKY SULLIVAN’S 46 Beard St. 718-246-8050 rockysullivansredhook. com JALOPY TAVERN 317 Columbia St. 718-625-3214 jalopytavern.biz ROULETTE INTERMEDIUM 509 Atlantic Ave. Roulette.org JALOPY THEATRE 315 Columbia St. 718-395-3214 jalopytheatre.org SUNNYS 253 Conover St. 718-625-8211 sunnysredhook.com LITTLEFIELD 635 Sackett St. littlefieldnyc.com SUPERFINE 126 Front St. superfine.nyc PIONEER BOOKS 289 Van Brunt St. pioneerworks.com

WEEKLY SHOWS

Theater, Free Show Roots n’ Ruckus 9:00 PM at Sunnys Smokey’s Round Up* FRI 9:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Free Show Papa Vega and the Rocket 88’s Blues/Rock’n’Roll SAT 9:00 PM at Sunnys Tone’s Bluegrass Jam

MUSIC CALENDAR THURS May 2 9:00 PM at Sunnys Mark Anselm & his Cellmates FRI MAY 3 7:00 PM at Pioneer Works 37d03d Day 1 Boys Noize + other performances 37d03d is a two night performance collaboration see PW website for more information one day pass: $60/two day pass: $100 8:00 PM at Ibeam, $15 Suggested Max Kutner’s Trio Generale 8:00 PM at Jalopy Theater, $15 Old Time Square Dance! 9:00 PM at Rocky Sullivans Rome 56, Jeannie Fry and the Lifers, The Viggs 9:00 PM at Sunnys The 41 Players

TUE 9:00 PM at Jalopy Theater, Free Show SAT MAY 4 Open Mic, sign up by 9. 7:00 PM at Roulette WED 9:00 PM at Jalopy

Intermedium Anteloper x Kim Alpert* Jaimie Branch’s Fly or Die

Page 26 Red Hook Star-Revue

Jerome Foundation Commissioned composer Jaimie Branch presents two sets of music. 8:00 PM at Ibeam, $10 Soul Loom 9:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Free Show AVO! Red Hook local punk band 11:00 PM at Littlefield, 21+ Reggae Retro Dance Party

Adam Caine/Robert Dick Duo; guitar/flute duo 9:00 PM at Jalopy Theater, $10 Windborne 9:00 PM at Rocky Sullivans Dirty Mirrors, Sleeping Dreaming, Union 9:00 PM at Sunnys The Woes

SAT MAY 11 8:00 PM sat at Jalopy SUN May 5 Theater, $15 11:00 AM at Jalopy TheTom Bailey & Friends ater, $5 kids, $10 adults, Performance and Square $25 family Dance Little Laffs - A Kid’s Variety 8:30 PM at Ibeam, $10-15 Show Sam Ospovat “Ride 12:00 PM at Superfine Angles” Bobby Blue Cinco de ALBUM RELEASE Mayo Brunch Special! SHOW* 1:00 PM at Jalopy Theater, $35 SUN May 12 Vocal Harmony Workshop 11:00 AM at Jalopy Thewith Don Friedman and ater, $5 kids, $10 adults, Phyllis Elkind $25 family 5:00 PM at Sunnys Princess Backpack and Bill Malchow Benjamin 7:00 PM at Jalopy 12:00 PM at Superfine Theater, $20 Lounge Leader Mike Compton & Joe 3:30 PM at Jalopy Theater Newberry Brooklyn’s Oldtime Slowjam MON May 6 5:00 PM at Sunnys 8:30 PM at Sunny’s Mothers Day with Tamar Mara Kaye Korn 9:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Free Show TUES May 14 Wild Goats Feat. Hillary 9:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Hawke Free Show Fatboy Wilson and TUES May 7 Friends 9:00 PM at Sunnys 9:00 PM at Sunnys Max Johnson* Ali Hughes and Adam WED May 8 Armstrong 9:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Free Show WED May 15 Barry Clyde 6:30 PM at Littlefield Le Vent du Nord FRI MAY 10 Presented by World Music 8:00 PM at Ibeam, $10-15 Institute Suggested 7:00 PM at Pioneer Books Carol Liebowitz - solo Power of Sound piano Roundtable: Sound and

SUNNY'S BAR MAY 2019

Consciousness* RSVP at pioneerworks. org 9:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Free Show Charlie Judkins and Miss Maybelle

ALL SHOWS 9PM UNLESS LISTED OTHERWISE

THURS May 16 8:00 PM at Pioneer Works, $25, 21+ Holly Herndon: Proto* co-presented with Red Bull Music Festival 9:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Free Show Audra Rox SUN May 19 12 PM - 1 AM at Jalopy Tavern + Jalopy Theater Swamp in the City: Day 3 12:00 PM at Superfine Andrea Asprelli Bluegrass Band 3:00 PM at Sunnys Harry Bolick Jam 6:00 PM at Superfine Seyyah music from Turkey & Greece 6:30 PM at Sunnys Honky Tonk Heroes MON May 20 8:00 PM at Pioneer Works, $15 Adv/$20 Door False Harmonics #4: Peter Brötzmann, Heather Leigh & William Parker* TUES May 21 8:00 PM at Jalopy Tavern, Free Show The Honky Tonk Heroes 9:00 PM at Sunnys Doug More and Friends FRI May 24 8:00 PM at Littlefield, $27 The Masqueraders* backed by The Brooklyn Rhythm Band

9:00 PM at Jalopy Theater, $10 Dirty Waltz Band 9:00 PM at Rocky Sullivans Cam Darwin, That Brooklyn Band, Brooklyn Bonez 9:00 PM at Sunnys Brooklyn Boogaloo Blow Out

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SAT May 25 8:00 PM at Littlefield, $15 Adv./$18 door, 21+ Califone* 9:00 PM at Jalopy Theater, $10 Clap Hands The Bovine Social Club performs Tom Waits

SUN May 26 12:00 PM + 6:00 PM at Superfine Brooklyn Bluegrass Collective + Mara Kaye & Her Sweet Friends 9:00 PM at Sunnys Micha Blackman

Holy Hive 9:00 PM at Rocky Sullivans Tuffy, We Don’t Exist, Hot Lips 9:00 PM at Sunnys Dave Hillyard Quintet

THURS May 30 9:00 PM at Sunnys

May 2019

’m happy to be able to start off this column by cheering some neighborhood heroes on a hard-fought victory. Last year I wrote about the plans of an investor to build a huge apartment building over where the Chase Bank is on Hamilton Avenue. I called it a ridiculous idea, based upon their presentation at the community board. In addition to its height, which was to be double anything else in the vicinity, the application was made by the owner of one lot, but the zoning change would also include two adjacent lots. At the time, it was thought that the reason for that was to avoid being seen as spot zoning - asking for a variance for only one building, which goes against NY zoning norms. What I didn’t realize, though, was that another reason for the aggregation of lots was to make the case that with such a zoning change, the possibility would then exist for a large enough building to be created that would trigger the new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing provision, a hard-fought victory for affordable housing championed by the local councilman, Brad Lander. The board rejected the application unanimously, and I naively thought that was the end of it. Until I read on some blog that the case was heard by the borough president and was on its way to the City Planning. Planning pretty much gave it the thumbs-up, much to the chagrin of not only myself but an ad hoc group of determined Columbia Waterfront neighbors who, unlike myself, followed the application through the ULURP process (ULURP is what all this change-of-zoning process is called in NYC). The final step in the saga of this ridiculous affront to the Columbia Waterfront District was to be the determination of the local councilman himself, Brad Lander. I was made aware of a last-minute community meeting that was held in late February at the offices of the Carroll Gardens Association, on Columbia Street. The large boardroom table in the back of 201 Columbia Street was filled with actual concerned citizens, many of them dedicated community gardeners who were upset at the prospect of

a tower looming over the area’s largest community garden, the Backyard Garden, on Hamilton and Van Brunt.

want to attend a private school but whose parents cannot afford to send them.

The tower would block a lot of sunlight, which of course gardens thrive upon. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is facing a similar threat from a developer, coincidently.

But a for-profit school exists basically like any other for-profit business — to make money. Coca Cola is a for profit business. As long as people buy Coke, they will make Coke. But if trends change, and the public demands something different, they will switch in order to maintain and grow their sales.

As we were sitting around the table exchanging ideas to create a strategy to try and convince Brad that this three lot charade would be a detriment to the community, and that he should kill the project, Brad himself joined us.

Just this week I read that Burger King will be adding a new kind of vegetarian Whopper to their selection, in all their stores around the country. They test-marketed the Impossible Burger in St. Louis and people bought them - so now everybody will get a chance to eat a vegetarian burger that smells and tastes like one made from a dead cow. Just like that, the cattle industry takes a hit, and pea farming (peas are part of the new burger formula) will be put on the front burner.

As I described a couple of months ago, he listened to all of us, but told us passionately that he was inclined to vote in favor of anything that would increase the supply of affordable housing in the city. In the end, the community won. What happened was that the ad hoc group brought to the City Council hearing a piece of paper that they were able to get from Chase saying that they had no interest in closing their branch to be part of a real estate deal.

I would like to think that education ought to be more than a basis for financial profit. The BASIS story was that a couple from Eastern Europe came to America with some sort of different educational vision that would provide a public benefit.

With that, the prospect of affordable housing ended, as did any chance of approval. This might not have happened if not for the hard work of the community and the integrity of Brad Lander. I love it when I see government working and I’m happy to tell you about it.

But in the end, the benefit was theirs, as I suspected when I read about their charter school history. In any case, they started a new brand in Red Hook, expanded to Manhattan and other places, and, just like many other successful chain businesses, sold out for the big bucks.

BASIS has new owners

Elsewhere in this issue you will read about how the new private school in Red Hook has been sold to a new private school consortium backed by Chinese hedge fund money.

The very sincere sounding email that we are publishing is from the new owner, Spring Education Group.

Some years back, when BASIS, a somewhat controversial charter school company from Arizona picked Red Hook to build their first East Coast for-profit private school, I wrote about how the concept of a for-profit school was somehow not what one might want as an educational model.

A quick check reveals that the Spring Education Group was formed last year with the merger of three other for-profit school companies. The CEO, Shawn Weidmann, was most recently CEO of one of those three schools, a chain much like BASIS. Here is some more information about him from a press release I found online: Shawn Weidmann currently serves as CEO of Stratford Schools, a privately-owned operator of private schools. Prior to joining Stratford schools, Shawn served in a variety of roles and industries. Most recently, he was COO for Public Storage. In this role Shawn had responsibility for all retail operations including over 2,200

Public schools like PS 15 are the most democratic form of education, and what has traditionally brought this melting pot of a country together. Traditional private schools have been not-for-profit institutions. Among other things, that enables them to fundraise and create endowments. The endowments are how they are able to offer scholarships to those who might

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Page 28 Red Hook Star-Revue

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facilities, 5,000 employees and 2 call centers with over $2 billion in annual sales. Shawn’s previous position was as President of Teleflora, the world’s largest network of retail florists. I’m not making a judgment here, I’m just informing.

NYCHA and gentrification

Lately there seems to be a lot of meetings having to do with Gowanus. In the middle of a long rezoning process, attention was forcibly placed by the Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) on what is described as a social justice issue. What it boils down to is that FAC is taking the position that when a rezoning leads to increased property values and profit opportunities for real estate developers, any neighboring NYCHA property deserves a piece of the action. Now, I’m no fan of real estate developers or Brooklyn skyscrapers, but as Gowanus scholar Joe Alexiou once said, the story of New York is the story of real estate. Meaning that, sooner or later, real estate developers will have their way. There is for sure a case to be made for a neighborhood getting something back for giving up their open spaces and sky, and in this case, Councilmember Brad Lander (again), has led the way to negotiating givebacks, as he led a series of neighborhood meetings he called Bridging Gowanus, for a couple of years. His plan, which includes affordable housing, some preservation and some amenities, has become part of the plan the city is now considering. But now, at the tail end of the process, FAC is making demands. For sure, the Gowanus Houses need work. So do the Red Hook Houses, and every other NYC public housing development. But it’s a citywide problem, and needs to be fixed citywide. If I were a resident of East New York’s Pink Houses, and I found out that my friends in Gowanus were living much better than me because of skyscrapers being built in their neighborhood, my first reaction would be that’s not fair. My second reaction would be to try to get skyscrapers in my neighborhood.

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May 2019

Brett Yates: The Tonnage of the World

Participatory Budgeting Is Kind of Boring

he idea of participatory budgeting (PB), which in April concluded its eighth annual cycle in New York City, is admirable and perhaps even inspiring. In practice, however, it feels a lot like New York progressive politics on the whole: somewhat dysfunctional and ultimately empty. An exercise in direct democracy embraced by forward-thinking cities around the world, PB empowers ordinary people to make decisions that normally would be left to elected officials. Here, it allows each New York City Council Member voluntarily to set aside at least $1 million from his or her discretionary budget for capital projects proposed and selected by district residents. Thanks to a successful measure on the city ballot in the November midterms, the program will expand to all council districts for Cycle 9 in 2019-2020. PB opens its doors to every marginalized group: undocumented immigrants, non-English speakers, children, and the formerly incarcerated all get to have a say in how we’ll spend the money. No one has to register to vote. Councilman Carlos Menchaca, known as an enthusiastic supporter of PB, gives $2 million to the program each year. Through canvassing, flyering, and social media, his staff works to ensure that District 38 continues to lead the city in voter turnout. In a 2016 op-ed for the Star-Revue, Menchaca called PB an “example of engaged residents using grassroots democracy to radically change the way we form government budgets. I adopted PB as I came into office with faith that it would change tired, unfair, old New York City budget habits. It has worked beyond my expectations.” No one can doubt that many of the projects funded through PB have been worthy. But in order to understand why the program, in its current form, fails to embody its underlying goal – that is, to bring citizens into a less mediated form of contact with their government as it seeks to express their will – one only has to glance at District 38’s 2018-2019 ballot, whose contents Menchaca’s office revealed on March 19, 11 days before the start of Vote Week. The most striking thing about the project slate is that any normal person would almost certainly want to vote for nearly everything. School improvements comprise 8 of the 11 proposals: drinking fountains, basketball hoops, a public-address system, and so on. Is there anyone who doesn’t agree that kids deserve well-equipped classrooms and recreational facilities in public schools? What it means when capital projects of this kind appear on the PB ballot is that city government is not using the

Red Hook Star-Revue

process to learn any new information about what residents might like to see in their district. City government already knows that it’s supposed to fund public schools. City government is already in conversation with public schools.

Basic needs should not be part of Participatory Budgets PB shouldn’t be necessary to maintain PS 15 or PS 676. That should happen in the normal course of things. But it doesn’t. Instead, PB gives the schools of District 38 an opportunity to face off in a nonviolent Hunger Games to win money that all of them should already have, and City Council gets to act like this is a great privilege. It’s democratically subdivided austerity. The purpose of PB should be to create projects that city government wouldn’t necessarily think to pursue in the normal course of things. It should tap into the people’s unaddressed needs, but also into their dreams, their sense of fun, their whimsy. It might mean a statue of Al Capone or Carmelo Anthony in Coffey Park. It might mean a fleet of electric skateboards for rent or an amphitheater or an appropriately sized bathroom at Valentino Pier. It might mean a bike path along Beard Street or a network of ziplines connecting the roofs of the Red Hook Houses to Van Brunt Street and the Smith-9th Street subway. I have no idea. If you live in Red Hook or Sunset Park, answer honestly: do you feel that you had a hand (or an invitation to have a hand) in crafting the PB ballot for District 38? City Council operates an Idea Collection Map online, where anyone can send in a recommendation, but in the end, councilmen primarily reach out to local institutions for bids. These institutions then send representatives to private meetings, where, as official budget delegates, they determine the final ballot. In theory, the job of the budget delegates is to fashion ideas collected from the general public into actionable capital projects, not simply to advocate for their employers. According to the most recent PBNYC rulebook I could find, council districts must hold “at least three public assemblies” and “at least four meetings for underrepresented community members” in order to discover project ideas and draft delegates. Subsequently, “project expos” will give the delegates a chance to “present their project proposals to the community through a science fair format.” If any of this stuff actually happens in District 38, we at the Star-Revue aren’t hearing about it, at least not since the first year of the program back in 2013. In reality, most of the process seems to stay behind closed doors until Vote Week. The seats at the table go to the local schools and nonprofits, which

then operate as voting sites in the spring. This presumably increases the likelihood that the winning proposals will belong to the largest institutions, which have a captive body of voters. When the nonprofits introduce project ideas, the names of the nonprofits don’t appear on the ballot, even though these private entities ultimately will own whatever our tax dollars come to produce for them through PB. For the voter, at a glance, it all looks like public infrastructure. This year, the Red Hook Initiative requested a $300,000 water hookup for its urban farm on Columbia Street, and the Fifth Avenue Committee wanted $500,000 to go into the development of affordable housing for seniors in Sunset Park. To be clear, the senior housing plan predates PB; in this case, PB would only provide an additional injection of funding for a preexisting project. In March, a Menchaca staffer pointed out that one of the proposals on the recent ballot came from an individual rather than an institution. The submission asked for pedestrian safety improvements outside PS 503 on 3rd Avenue. This proposal was distinct from the other school-related proposals because it came from a parent at the school, not from an administrator or teacher. Still, it’s a fine distinction. According to NYC Open Data, zero of the 22 capital projects approved through PB in District 38 since 20132014 have been completed thus far – not even the $85,000 community garden at the Red Hook Library from Cycle 1. In fact, only one project is currently under construction. The rest have yet to break ground. This may not be so strange. In New York City, capital projects take a long, long time. We’ll check back in occasionally.

Some ideas In the meanwhile, we’d still like to reform the way the projects are selected. Unfortunately, not all of the problems of PB can be fixed by fixing PB: as long as the city refuses to provide adequate funding for its schools, they’ll continue to look to PB to fill the gap, crowding out potentially more imaginative proposals. Someday, though, when we’re ready to get serious about our city government, we might want to change the rules of PB a bit. First, polling stations should be neutral locations. Second, all project proposals should come from district residents. For now, voters must reside in the district, but budget delegates can get in simply by working in the district – for example, by serving in an executive position at a nonprofit. We want the ideas to emerge from the people, not just the votes. Insignificant as PB may be within New

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York City’s overall budget (of course more money should be allocated), the program at least reminds us that our goal must always be self-governance. How does one design a democracy that channels the actual will of its citizenry? In the United States, our insufficient democratic structures – privately financed elections, a Congress without proportional representation, a presidency determined by the Electoral College, a lifetime-appointed Supreme Court with veto power over all laws – serve to legitimize a plutocracy, not to enact what ordinary people want. The task even of finding the voices of these people, accustomed to being ignored, won’t necessarily be easy, but it would start with building new democratic structures and processes. It could start here.

“According to NYC Open Data, zero of the 22 capital projects approved through PB in District 38 since 20132014 have been completed thus far – not even the $85,000 community garden at the Red Hook Library from Cycle 1. In fact, only one project is currently under construction.” May 2019, Page 29

RED HOOK POLICE STORIES “After six years, eight major operations and more than 500 arrests, no one has been convicted of first-degree conspiracy. Instead, many defendants have spent a year or more on Rikers Island, awaiting trials that in the end never come.” Continued from page 3 to cruise Columbia Street, laughing as civilians fled in fear at the sight of them. “I felt like this was my kingdom,” he bragged. Commuting from a waterfront McMansion on Long Island, Cea became addicted to the thrill of the street life in Red Hook, whether that meant participating in a gunfight in the projects (“I actually felt more alive than I had ever felt before”) or watching without intervention as a drug dealer forced a woman to perform oral sex on a stray dog (“I must say that I was curious”). Cea, however, thus summarized his work: “The laws I broke were without question only directed at men who would not think twice about killing any one of us, regardless of sex, age, color, or creed, and the sad thing about all of it is, without men like me who would dare to question these laws, which are built solely to protect only the bad guy, the streets would be owned by the animals I tried so hard to arrest. Democracy in a place like New York City doesn’t work, the reason being, it’s too diverse. Ask Rudy Giuliani, who reigned as an absolute monarch, and dragged the city kicking and screaming into lawful prosperity. His ‘monarchy’ allowed every cop in the city to get right the fuck up in the face of the animals who ran the city under the administration of the fabulously inept David Dinkins.”

Page 30 Red Hook Star-Revue

Broken Windows and stop-and-frisk

Starting in 1994, Mayor Giuliani brought a new theory of policing called “Broken Windows” to the NYPD, which sought to crack down forcefully on minor signs of social disorder in the city, from graffiti to loitering to public urination, under the premise that small illegalities created a hospitable environment for more serious unlawfulness. Crime went down – mirroring, however, a nationwide decline that included other American cities that hadn’t instituted more aggressive policing. The local and national media, however, widely interpreted correlation as causation in New York, and Giuliani’s successor, Michael Bloomberg, doubled down on Giuliani’s empowerment of the NYPD in 2002 by promoting “stop-and-frisk,” a policy that encouraged officers to temporarily detain and search people on the street without probable cause to arrest. The policy led to 97,296 stops in Bloomberg’s first year. By 2011, the annual number had climbed to 685,724. About 90 percent of the New Yorkers stopped were black or Latino. Under Bloomberg, the NYPD also orchestrated a large-scale raid of the Red Hook Houses in 2006. Prosecutors indicted 143 of the arrestees “in connection with what they said was a $250 million conspiracy to sell drugs in Red Hook. The indictments charge that drug dealers divided up the neighborhood and set the cost of drugs and sale locations,” the New York Times reported. The raid in Red Hook represented the culmination of an ambitious series of surprise attacks upon New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, which aimed to crack down on drug operations by rounding up dealers en masse and slapping them with felony conspiracy charges that could lead to life sentences. Some Red Hook Houses residents praised the police’s zeal; others felt that the NYPD seemed to be responding to intel from the ‘90s, going after gangs that in reality had already mostly disintegrated. In any case, as the Times wrote two years later, “the strategy stumbled at the courthouse steps. Judges rebuked the prosecution tactics. Juries rejected the conspiracy charges. And after six years, eight major operations and more than 500 arrests, no one has been convicted of first-degree conspiracy. Instead, many defendants have spent a year or more on Rikers Island, awaiting trials that in the end never come. Typically, they plead guilty to lesser crimes, are sentenced to time served and then are released.” In 2013, Bill de Blasio won the mayoralty on a promise to “end a stopand-frisk era that targets minorities.” While he didn’t ban the procedure outright, he managed to reduce the

number of annual stops to 11,629 by 2017. Though de Blasio disappointed progressives by reappointing Giuliani-era Police Commissioner William Bratton, he earned credit for NYPD reforms such as implicit bias training and body cameras. De Blasio also implemented “neighborhood policing,” a “program to build stronger partnerships between police and the communities they serve.” Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) appeared in 2015, embedding themselves as friendly presences in the Red Hook Houses and elsewhere to serve as liaisons between the police force and a sometimes mistrustful citizenry. “That’s what neighborhood policing is all about: seeing the same officers every day in your community,” Captain Tania Kinsella, the commanding officer of Police Service Area 1 (PSA 1), said at a tenants association meeting in January. PSA 1 patrols public housing in Red Hook in collaboration with the 76th Precinct, which handles the rest of the neighborhood. Kinsella explained that, if an officer is deeply familiar with the locals, he or she is more likely to be aware when someone in the neighborhood suffers from a mental illness, for example, and needs to be sent to a hospital instead of being taken to jail when causing a disturbance. At de Blasio’s 2019 State of the City address, the mayor boasted, “The NYPD has pushed crime to record lows, with the fewest homicides since 1951. Neighborhood policing is now the reality in this city, and it works.” De Blasio attacked the “conventional wisdom” that “you can only arrest your way to a safer city,” noting that in 2018 “the NYPD made 140,000 fewer arrests than the year we took office.” In Red Hook, according to longtime community leader Robert Berrios, “relationships between police and the community have been great, and the reason for this is NCO officers,” whose Build the Block meetings have seen “more and more” attendees. Berrios observed that most residents recognize that the police “are not the bad guys,” and he opined that “those who complain about the police in the community are the same ones who cause havoc within the community.” He added, “What some people don’t understand is [that] police go where the community asks them to be. Some parts of Red Hook have issues with drugs, others with loud music. [The police] even respond to residents when they have no lights or heat.”

RHI study

In January, the Red Hook Initiative (RHI), a youth empowerment and social services nonprofit, quietly released a “participatory action research project,” compiled principally by its adolescent clientele. It offered a starkly different view of the activities of the 76th Precinct and PSA 1. Titled Real Rites Research: Young

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Adults’ Experiences of Violence and Dreams of Community-Led Solutions in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the RHI study asked for a measure of local sovereignty in the effort to create a safer neighborhood: “Our research suggests that effective approaches to violence prevention lie with young people and from within the community itself. To reduce experiences of violence in Red Hook we need community programs and support for young people as leaders, mentors, and experts.” It continued: “We must separate police from community building. Young people report policing as a major cause of violence in Red Hook. Police harassment inhibits young people’s ability to interact with others and to feel free within their own community.” For the older crowd at the Red Hook Houses’ tenants associations, which regularly welcome NCOs at their monthly meetings, the police appear to represent safety. For the teenagers at RHI, who reported that the local police presence makes them “feel like targets and animals,” the opposite seems to be true. Alex S. Vitale, a sociology professor at Brooklyn College who writes about the problems of policing in America, admitted that some of the police encounters interpreted as harassment by young people in communities of color stem from calls for assistance within the same community, not from an external mandate. “Part of the problem here is that those folks who are calling the police also wish that there were better community resources, that the schools were better, that the quality of the housing was better, but what they’ve been told for the last 40 years is that the only thing they can have to solve their community problems is more police,” he explained. “The police also are kind of actively promoting themselves as the saviors of the community,” he went on. “And the elected officials largely go along with this, instead of saying, ‘Why can’t we have adequate afterschool programming? Why can’t we have trauma counseling for these young people? Why can’t we have family supports in place? Why isn’t there a well-funded football league with lots of coaches and assistant coaches who are paid and can do mentoring?’” According to Vitale’s 2017 book The End of Policing (Verso Books), “the police exist primarily as a system for managing and even producing inequality by suppressing social movements and tightly managing the behaviors of poor and nonwhite people: those on the losing end of economic and political arrangements.” In the 19th century, the “three basic social arrangements of inequality” were “slavery, colonialism, and the control of a new industrial working class.” When these arrangements yielded “social upheavals that could no longer be managed by existing private,

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RED HOOK POLICE STORIES communal, and informal processes,” modern policing was invented. Bob Gangi, a Manhattan-based activist at the Police Reform Organizing Project (PROP), shares many of Vitale’s views. “I think that the city could and should do a much better job of collaborating with communities to improve services and programs in the communities. I don’t think the city should do that through its police department,” he said. In Gangi’s view, the police are tasked to solve social problems – mental illness, drug addiction, homelessness, and more – that don’t actually benefit from the use of armed enforcers. “Right now, the police is responsible for safety in the public schools; that should be the responsibility of the Department of Education. Right now, the police is responsible for regulating street vendors; that should be the Department of Health or the Department of Consumer Affairs.” PROP advocates for “significant reductions in police power, police budget, and police personnel,” which “could literally save billions of dollars” for schools, mental health services, drug treatment programs, and public works projects. Gangi also accused NYPD precincts of using a quota system that forces officers to make arrests without justification. “It’s not a policy that’s written down anywhere, because it’s illegal, but anybody who knows how the NYPD functions knows that a lot of it is driven by numbers. The cops know that, and if they want to advance up the ranks and they want to avoid being sanctioned or losing their vacation or being assigned to a more difficult post, they’ll make their numbers.” PROP volunteers monitor New York City’s courtrooms to record which crimes are being prosecuted and who’s being prosecuted for them. The latest report noted that, in the summer and fall of 2018, 87 percent of criminal trials and 90 percent of arraignments involved New Yorkers of color. “The NYPD, in one form or fashion, targets every vulnerable population in the city,” Gangi asserted. He acknowledged that the NYPD is not unique in this way: “There is no police department in any big city that provides a useful model.” In other words, there’s a fair chance the NYPD isn’t the worst out there.

16 percent approval rating

Amanda Berman, project director at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, pointed out, however, that the problems of other cities’ police departments can have just as big an effect on New Yorkers’ perceptions of the NYPD as the NYPD’s own behavior. In 2016, Berman observed that, with public safety on the rise and arrests on the decline in New York, people in Red Hook were beginning to like the NYPD less, not more. A collaboration between the New York State Unified Court System and

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a private nonprofit, the Justice Center seeks to foster legitimacy and trust in the justice system, from law enforcement to the courts. Every few years, the organization surveys Red Hook residents to gauge its progress. The first survey took place in 1997, before the Justice Center opened, and at that time, only 14 percent of people in Red Hook generally approved of the NYPD. By 2001, the number had jumped to 42 percent. In 2009, it climbed to 66 percent. The most recent survey went out in the summer of 2016. “That was the summer where, for several months, it felt like every time we turned on the news there was a new story about conflict between police and a community. That was the year of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and when the officers were killed in Dallas,” Berman recounted. “There was a palpable tension building here in Red Hook. We were hearing from community members as well as the police.” The former were “angry and scared and concerned” about police violence in the national media, while the latter reported that they “felt unsafe” in the resulting climate of animosity. In 2016, according to the Justice Center, the NYPD’s approval rating in Red Hook was 16 percent. Berman believed that the Justice Center could play a role in healing the rift between the community and the police. Their Peacemaking program, a dialogue-based method of conflict resolution inspired by Native American traditions, reached out to the local NCOs and trained them as Peacemakers, allowing them to mediate disputes between civilians through communication instead of enforcement. 15 officers have taken the course thus far. The Justice Center also created Bridging the Gap, a program designed to introduce young people to officers in the neighborhood in order to spark discussions within a setting of “equal voices” and to dispel stereotypes on both sides. Sometimes the kids bring their parents, too. “Youth are encouraged to ask questions, even the tough questions, and the officers commit to answering them honestly. And what we found is that it’s really empowering for the young people to be asking their questions but also to be asked questions – for them to know that the officers care about what they think and how they see the world,” Berman described. At a Bridging the Gap game night at the Miccio Center last fall, hula hoops and Pictionary gave way to discussion circles. Some kids sat silently, while others peppered the officers with questions about how they decided to become cops and what kinds of dangers they face in the line of duty. Several expressed admiration, with one high-schooler comparing their bravery to that of U.S. troops serving overseas. One adult woman asked the officer

sitting next to her what he thought of stop-and-frisk. He answered briefly, calling it a good policy and a useful procedure. Later, a teenager mentioned that some of the videos he’d seen of police on the internet or on the news had troubled him and questioned whether cops sometimes went too far when using force. In reply, an officer told the kids that they shouldn’t trust the media, since most of it is lies. Berman plans to organize another survey this summer. She hopes to see an improvement in the police’s approval rating. Keith Owens, an AmeriCorps member who works at the Justice Center and lives on Dwight Street, encapsulated the central complaint behind 2016’s disconcerting statistic: “Stop shooting to kill! Shoot to wound. If somebody’s not taking a shot at you, but you still feel the need to use force, just wound them! Shoot them in the leg.” Owens himself has had mixed experiences with the NYPD. “Some [encounters] have been fair. Others haven’t been.” One experience from 2017 sticks out: “One of my girlfriend’s sons got arrested for smoking weed inside the NYCHA buildings. But at the time we found out, we didn’t know. All she knew was that her son got locked up. So we came out here running, trying to figure out where and who. I jumped in front of the cop car, just to stop them so that the mother can find out information.” The officers misinterpreted Owens’s interference, and before long, they had him pressed against the car, with backup on the way. “Now I’m being held down on the car by six police, and then one officer snuffed me. He hit me – he walked right up to me and snuffed me right in my mouth. There was literally nothing that I could do about it because I was already being held by police.”

The shooting of Tyjuan Hill

Owens’s nonlethal experience may bear a small resemblance to another, more tragic incident that took place in Red Hook five years earlier. On September 20, 2012, after a short chase following an attempted arrest, five officers from the 76th Precinct had pinned 22-year-old Tyjuan Hill to the blacktop at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and West 9th Street when a sixth, Sergeant Patrick Quigley, pressed a gun to the back of his head and fired. Hill died instantly. For the NYPD, the night began at the intersection of Henry and Huntington streets, behind a gas station, where a female undercover officer, Cairly Rivera, posed as a sex worker and waited for johns to solicit her. At least nine other officers sat in waiting. The sting took place under the auspices of Operation Losing Proposition, which has generated arrests and automobile seizures for the NYPD since 1991.

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“In Gangi’s view, the police are tasked to solve social problems – mental illness, drug addiction, homelessness, and more – that don’t actually benefit from the use of armed enforcers.” By 10 p.m., the officers had already taken into custody one man, who sat under police supervision in a nearby van as the operation continued. At that time, a Mazda sedan with four young men inside pulled up to Rivera, and they negotiated for her services. With a deal in place, the police moved in. All four men exited the vehicle, and the police promptly arrested three. The fourth, Hill, ran. After a conviction for second-degree attempted robbery and 18 months at Washington Correctional Facility, Hill had come home to the Red Hook Houses that February. While his friends would at worst face misdemeanor charges for patronizing a prostitute, the bust would mean a parole violation for Hill. Six officers gave chase, either by car or on foot. Bradley Tirol tackled Hill opposite 288 Hamilton Avenue. Lyheem Oliver came next. Daniel Casella, Benigno Gonzalez, and Sambath Ouk then joined as the officers sought to subdue Hill by grabbing his arms and legs and pressing down on his back. According to the police, Hill resisted arrest, and Casella began to strike him with an ASP (an expandable baton or nightstick). Quigley was the last to arrive on the scene. Collectively, the officers weighed about 1,200 pounds. Hill stood fivefoot-ten and weighed 171 pounds. Still, by their story, they couldn’t fully secure his arms and managed to cuff only one of his hands. Face down in the street, with the police still on top of him, Hill allegedly managed to pull a concealed pistol from his waistband and point it at Quigley, who was

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RED HOOK POLICE STORIES “Commercial sex work has proven largely impervious to punitive policing,” Vitale argued. “When you target the customers, you’re driving the whole thing into the underground, which means that the sex workers are more vulnerable to exploitation” and abuse.” Continued from previous page kneeling with a hand on Hill’s back. Quigley then drew his own pistol and fired at Hill in avowed self-defense. In Quigley’s testimony, “[Hill’s] firearm was pointed at my face. And I made the decision to shoot him in his head because that was the only available target open to me, but more importantly, I knew that by doing that, it was – it would stop him from shooting me. It would definitely end that situation. That’s why I did it.” The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue charges against Quigley, but two months after the killing, Hill’s mother, as administrator of his estate, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of New York and the officers involved in the shooting. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein dismissed the complaint against the city, but in October 2016, six officers went to trial before a jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. If found guilty, the policemen (or their employer) would have to compensate Hill’s estate for the value of his lost life with a sum determined by the jury. Civil trials employ a less rigorous

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standard for guilt than criminal trials, which demand proof beyond a “reasonable doubt.” Civil court asks for a “preponderance of the evidence” on the side of the plaintiff. The plaintiff ’s case looked strong. Even at first glance, the NYPD’s story had elicited some public suspicion, since the location of Hill’s bullet wound seemed to suggest that, while fighting off five officers, he would have had to have pointed his gun backward, over his shoulder, to endanger Quigley. Moreover, Hill’s attorneys – Michael Colihan, Phillip J. Smallman, and David B. Shanies – had lined up four eyewitnesses with no personal connection to the deceased or to the NYPD. From inside stopped cars, they had seen the event transpire from a distance of 15 or 20 feet, and all four would testify that Hill had had no gun – or, as the court required them to put it, that they’d observed no gun on his person. One was a woman from Austin, Texas, who had come to New York to scout a job offer. Her best friend had accompanied her to New York to celebrate her birthday. When they saw the shooting, a taxi driver was taking them from Manhattan to Staten Island, where they were staying for the week with another friend. The cab driver – whom one of the officers allegedly approached in the moments following the shooting, shouting at him through his opened window to “Get the fuck out of here!” – also testified. The fourth witness was a former officer of the Newark Police Department, who had watched from an SUV. Four years after the shooting, the testimonies varied, especially in the length of time attributed to the incident. The three people inside the taxi recalled that, leading up to the shooting, Hill had had his hands behind his back while the officers beat him. One of the women from Austin called it a brutal five-minute assault, “the worst thing I’d ever seen.” The man in the SUV, meanwhile, claimed that, from the tackle to the gunshot, only five or six seconds had passed, during which Hill had resisted arrest. In his memory, Hill’s hands were on the blacktop, and he was pushing himself upward from a prone position when Quigley fired. All four, however, were equally confident that Hill had never had a gun in his hand. Hill’s alleged firearm bore a somewhat mysterious quality even in the police’s testimony. For instance, Quigley remembered that Hill had held it with two hands while pointing it at him. Others recalled that he’d held it with one. Ouk, who had been wrestling Hill’s lower body at the time of the shot, didn’t recall seeing him with a gun at all. That night, crime scene detective Christopher Florio photographed a Kel-Tec 9-millimeter Luger on the sidewalk on Hamilton Avenue. But no one could explain exactly how it had

jumped out of Hill’s hand and over the five-inch curb from the street. Some officers speculated that it may have been kicked at some point. Also curious was the absence of any blood on the gun, given the splatter on Quigley’s uniform and in the surrounding area. DNA on the gun belonged to Hill, but the police seemed unable to account for the gun’s chain of custody prior to the DNA swab. Florio reported that he’d received the gun from Alejandro Manzano, the officer safeguarding the evidence, at 11:10 p.m. But Manzano’s deposition revealed that, until 12:30 a.m., he’d been stationed at the Mazda left behind at Henry and Huntington streets. Subsequently, he followed orders to watch Hill’s body until the arrival of the medical examiner at 1 a.m. Manzano didn’t recall seeing a gun at the scene at any point. The defense cited a radio transmission from Officer Tirol, who’d purportedly yelled “Gun, gun, gun!” upon spotting Hill’s pistol. The transmission was preserved and played for the jury. In fact, there was no reason for Tirol to disentangle himself from Hill in the midst of an urgent situation to use his police radio. What Tirol claimed was that his transmitter happened to turn on at exactly the right moment to catch the exclamation (something or someone must have pressed the button unintentionally) and to turn off before the sound of Quigley’s gunshot. The plaintiff found this story unlikely, speculating that Tirol had staged his recorded panic moments after Quigley’s unprovoked shot. In spite of all this, Judge Hellerstein prohibited the plaintiff from arguing explicitly that the police had planted Hill’s gun on the scene. The lawyers would have to limit their argument to “what witnesses saw and didn’t see,” and no one had seen the officers drop a pistol on the curb. Hellerstein also prevented the two witnesses from Austin from speaking about the series of threatening phone calls they’d allegedly received from the police and then from a private investigator hired by the NYPD in the lead-up to the trial, on the basis that the plaintiff had no evidence linking the calls specifically to the six defendants. As the judge put it, “there are individuals on trial, not the police department and not the city.” Hill’s lawyers wanted to play a 911 call from the time of the incident, placed by the man from Newark, who, even while in a state of alarm, had noted specifically that the victim of the shooting he’d just watched had not had a weapon. Hellerstein, however, ruled that the call was redundant unless the defense impugned the witness’s credibility on the stand. The defense hired a forensic pathologist to explain that Hill’s autopsy contradicted the story of police brutality (with kicking and stomping) told by

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the witnesses in the taxi. The expert pointed to the absence of deep bruises or fractures: apart from a couple scrapes and a contusion on his right wrist, Hill’s body bore “no injuries” from the neck down. Arguably, the testimony even contradicted the account of the officers, who had acknowledged beating Hill with an ASP before his death. After eight days in court, the jury reached a deadlock, resulting in a mistrial. In 2017, Hellerstein dismissed Hill’s claims against Casella, Gonzalez, Oliver, Ouk, and Tirol, but the claim against Quigley remained, and a retrial followed in March 2018.

Second trial and appeal

On the second try, the plaintiff hoped to introduce an “audio and voice identification expert,” who, by enhancing the sound on an iPhone video recorded by a witness just after the gunshot, would seek to prove by a statistical comparison of energy and pitch to the police’s radio transmission that Tirol’s exclamation of “Gun, gun, gun!” could be heard on the witness’s tape as a post-shooting coverup. Hellerstein didn’t allow the testimony: “Several aspects of Ms. Owen’s methodology were unreliable.” Ultimately, the content of the second trial was similar to that of the first. This time, however, the jury returned a not guilty verdict. After an unsuccessful posttrial motion, Shanies appealed the verdict on Ms. Hill’s behalf in early 2019. Shanies took issue with the judge’s “permissive” language regarding the use of deadly force in his instructions to the jury: Hellerstein had stated, “If a policeman has probable cause to believe that the person being arrested poses a significant threat of death or serious bodily injury to that policeman or to another, the policeman may use lethal force and even kill the person he is trying to arrest.” The appellant brief points out that, as established by the District Court, the jury instructions must employ restrictive language: the use of deadly force was “unreasonable unless the officer had probable cause to believe that the suspect posed a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to others.” Shanies also claimed that the jury had received the wrong information on the level of intent that a plaintiff needs to prove in a deadly force case, and he protested the exclusion of 911 calls at the trial. According to Shanies, the appeal process “will take some months to play out. First the city will file its opposition; we’ll file some additional briefing, and then we expect to have argument before the court. Based on experience, I would expect that probably sometime in the summer or perhaps even in the fall.” As of 2018, Casella, Gonzalez, Tirol,

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RED HOOK POLICE STORIES Oliver, Ouk, and Quigley remained on NYPD payroll. In December 2014, the 76th Precinct honored Quigley as Cop of the Month. More recently, an ongoing civil lawsuit named Quigley as a defendant in March 2019, when a NYCHA resident in Staten Island accused three officers of throwing him down a flight of stairs in his building and then arresting him on false charges. The NYPD continues to organize stings to catch the clients of sex workers, among other efforts to crack down on prostitution. “Commercial sex work has proven largely impervious to punitive policing,” Vitale argued. “When you target the customers, you’re still driving the whole thing into the underground black market, which means that the sex workers are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.” According to Gangi, “de Blasio and [Police Commissioner James P.] O’Neill could make an administrative decision to decriminalize sex work.” Disbanding the NYPD’s vice squad, which targets prostitution, would save money that could be used “to provide services and supports for sex workers who want it.”

100 years for Ronald Williams

Three years after the killing of Tyjuan Hill, another shooting took place in

tempted murder, attempted assault, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon, allegedly belonged to the Gowanus-based “OwwOww Gang.” Assistant District Attorney Nicole Chavis prosecuted them in a joint trial in 2017, following Williams’s attorney’s unsuccessful petition for a solo trial. Two of the defendants were acquitted, and two were convicted. On July 6, 2017, a month after the jury turned in its verdict, Kings County Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice sentenced Williams to 100 years in prison. His rebuke of Williams appeared in the New York Daily News: “With your conduct alone, you have sworn your life away.” Williams maintains his innocence. According to Williams, the NYPD targeted him during its investigation on account of a preexisting feud between him and the officers patrolling the Gowanus Houses, who had labeled him a gang leader. Like the Red Hook Houses, the Gowanus Houses sit within the jurisdiction of both the 76th Precinct and PSA 1. “They’ve been constantly harassing him since his youth days,” his mother, Dianna Pippen, lamented. From Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York, Williams described his experiences with law enforcement. He doesn’t remember his first encounter with the police. But “once it happened, it just kept happening,” he said. Over the years, he was arrested on numerous minor charges such as marijuana possession and loitering in his own building. He explained that, after the Gowanus Houses Community Center closed in 2006 or 2007, he and his friends had no place to hang out on cold or rainy days – they couldn’t all fit together in their families’ crowded apartments. When they congregated in his building’s lobby, the police suspected them of criminal activity.

Ronald Williams and Dianna Pippen

Red Hook. On August 3, 2015, a Ford Explorer pulled up to 9A Dwight Street; its occupants exited the vehicle and sprayed gunfire before speeding away from the scene. No one died, but the bullets caused one of the five injured victims (three women, two men) to suffer a miscarriage. The police attributed the incident to gang violence, a misdirected retaliation for an earlier shooting in the Gowanus Houses. They arrested a suspect the next day, on August 4, and arrested two more on August 5. On August 25, the NYPD made a fourth arrest: 23-year-old Ronald Williams, who lived on Baltic Street. The four young men, facing charges of at-

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Once, the officers promised trouble if they didn’t clear out. Williams and his friends scattered. “They chased everybody,” he recalled. Finally, when the scene had quieted, he tried to go home, but upon his return to the building, one of the cops threw him to the floor and jammed a gun to his head, leaving a bruise near his eye. Another incident took place outside the front door to the family’s apartment, when an old friend, newly out of jail, came to visit Williams unexpectedly. They stood in the hallway chatting until an officer approached, demanding to see their IDs. Williams, clad in pajamas and still wearing his PlayStation headset from inside, had no identification on him. But by Williams’s account, the officer already knew well from prior interactions who he was and that he lived only a step from where they stood: the only purpose of the questioning was harassment. As the encounter grew more conten-

tious, Williams’s friend fled. Hoping to avoid trouble for himself, Williams didn’t budge. Nevertheless, the officer handcuffed him and dragged him violently down the stairs in pursuit of the runner.

Cultural disconnect

By his own admission, Williams had taken part in some petty crime (“stupid little things”) during his adolescence, but by the time the shooting took place in 2015, he preferred to stay home and play video games. He had a steady girlfriend and an off-the-books job with a moving company. In his telling, he never belonged to a gang. He blamed the misperception on a “cultural disconnect” between his community and the police, who “go by what they see on TV.” To them, an average group of friends might look like the Crips or Bloods if they were black and lived in public housing. According to Williams, the “OwwOww Gang” was an invention of the NYPD. The catchphrase “oww oww” had emerged from a popular song of the same name by the Brooklyn rapper Nu Money. Williams and his friends had adopted it for use at parties. But they had attended these parties to pick up girls, not to start fights: just the way it sounded, “oww oww” was flirtatious, not combative. At the same time, real gang activity did exist in the Gowanus Houses, as did the gang warfare between Red Hook and Gowanus that had ostensibly prompted the 2015 shooting. In fact, one of Williams’s friends had died in an earlier shooting owing to the beef. But Williams believes that the 76th Precinct’s gang policing only exacerbated the tension between the two NYCHA developments, and the officers even appeared to take pleasure in doing so. He said that, on days when they happened to have arrested gang members from both neighborhoods, the cops would deliberately put them in a cell together at the precinct, just to see what would happen. And when they charged a gang-affiliated person from Gowanus with a misdemeanor, they’d point out with relish that they’d have to go to court at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, which would mean entering enemy turf. If Williams’s designation as a gang member owed to his proximity to those genuinely involved in gangs, it was only because the officers in his neighborhood didn’t understand the open nature of social life in the Gowanus Houses, according to Pippen. “My son is popular. When you live in a housing development, everybody knows everybody, and a lot of the people my son grew up with, they’d be outside. We have some good people, and we have some bad people too. When we come home, we talk to people. We say hi. There’s nothing wrong with saying hi.” Once Williams had become a person

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“In his telling, he never belonged to a gang. He blamed the misperception on a ‘cultural disconnect’ between his community and the police, who ‘go by what they see on TV.’ To them, an average group of friends might look like the Crips or Bloods if they were black and lived in public housing.” of interest for the NYPD, he found that he attracted attention whenever he went outdoors. When police cars passed by, the officers would turn on their megaphones, blasting a public greeting: “Hi, Ronald.” They especially liked to bust Williams for riding his bike on the sidewalk between his building and the street. One time, Williams was riding his bike in the street when a squad car came up behind him and began to tailgate him so closely that he became uncomfortable and pulled onto the sidewalk to let the officer pass. Then the squad car stopped, and the officer got out to arrest him for riding his bike on the sidewalk again. In the middle of August in 2015, the police arrested him one last time on the same charge. He went home the same day, which wasn’t unusual. Pippen remembered that, when the charges against him were clearly “bo-

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RED HOOK POLICE STORIES Continued from previous page gus,” the court would sometimes let her son – by then a familiar face – out the backdoor without an arraignment. The prompt release in this case struck Williams as strange only after, a week or two later, the police had arrested him for attempted murder. This time, they brought a SWAT team to his family’s apartment. Pippen answered the door and gave permission to the officer in front to come inside in order to show her a warrant. He replied that it would violate protocol for him to enter alone, so she invited one more officer to accompany him. Once the two had entered, the rest of the team burst through the door with guns drawn and shields up. Storming the apartment, they found Williams, but not before traumatizing Pippen’s younger son and her daughter, by the mother’s account. Pippen never saw the warrant. The officers would later claim that she’d let them in willingly. In custody, Williams found out that one of the victims in the Red Hook shooting had identified him earlier in the month from a photo brought to her by the 76th Precinct. In the story eventually put forth by the police, the identification had taken place not long after the incident, before Williams’s arrest on the bike. What Williams would come to believe was that the police had pressured or coerced the witness to ID him, and this process had taken some time, which accounted for the considerable gap between Williams’s arrest and his codefendants’ – in Williams’s theory, the police later shortened the timeline to make the accusation against him more credible. Having recognized the incident as a gang shooting, the 76th Precinct seemed to have determined to tack onto the indictment as many of the Gowanus Houses’ “gang members” as possible. Out of five victims, only one placed Williams at the scene of the crime. Her testimony, which claimed that she’d seen four shooters on Dwight Street, differed from other accounts, including those of independent eyewitnesses, which described only two shooters at the scene. At the trial, the victim asserted a long familiarity with Williams, claiming that in her childhood she’d seen him meet the three other assailants outside her middle school on a regular basis. Williams emphasized the improbability of this arrangement, citing the four-year age gap between himself and his codefendants, who were roughly the same age as the witness. As he put it, 16-year-olds don’t hang out with 12-year-olds, who register as “little kids” to a high-schooler. By his recollection, Williams had never met the victim prior to his arrest. Pippen, who works in administration at the New York City College of Technology, had spent her savings, which

Page 34 Red Hook Star-Revue

she’d hoped to use to move her family out of public housing, on a private attorney for her son. Del Giudice dismissed the lawyer from the case, however, on charges of tampering with evidence, based on what Williams called “triple hearsay.” On a phone call to Rikers Island, which records inmates’ communications, “my girlfriend said to me that my mother said to her that my lawyer said to her that I should deactivate Facebook,” Williams recounted. The judge argued that this constituted an attempt to delete evidence. According to Pippen, the lawyer had wanted only to protect Williams from the snooping of the media, which often uses Facebook pictures to paint defendants in an unflattering light during trials related to violent crime: recontextualized, group photos become gang portraits. Williams noted that his Facebook page – whose contents he assumed the prosecution had already downloaded in their entirety – contained no information related to the case, and that deactivation doesn’t permanently delete Facebook data anyway. Nevertheless, the court assigned Williams a public defender, and the judge afforded a one-month delay for preparation. Williams’s previous lawyer immediately made his files available to the new attorney by way of a Dropbox link and subsequently deleted the folder from the file-sharing website. Weeks later, during jury selection, the first lawyer received a request from the second to put the files back online, which made the former wonder whether the latter hadn’t bothered even to download the case file until the last moment. Williams’s new lawyer proved unable to influence the judge on two crucial points. First, Del Giudice had excluded from the trial a DNA swab of the Ford Explorer, which had found none of Williams’s genetic material. Second, he had prohibited the introduction of early statements given to the police by Williams’s codefendants, due to an NYPD violation of New York’s right-to-counsel law during questioning. Court documents indicate that two of Williams’s codefendants made “inculpatory statements” to the authorities immediately following their arrests, implicating themselves, each other, and the third codefendant in the shooting in some fashion. The statements never mentioned Williams, who made no admission of guilt or involvement upon arrest. (If Del Giudice had granted Williams a separate trial, the statements could have been admitted without endangering the other three defendants.) Before the trial, Williams rejected a “global plea deal” – requiring the consent of all four parties – that, by his account, his codefendants had been

288 Hamilton Avenue - Site of Tyjuan Hill’s death.

willing to accept. “I never even considered to voluntarily take jail time for something I did not do,” he said. Lawrence P. Labrew, an attorney who successfully defended one of Williams’s codefendants in the joint trial, expressed his belief that Williams had had no connection to the incident: “My understanding is that he wasn’t even there.”

Gang policing

Throughout the trial, the prosecution highlighted Williams’s supposed gang connection, put forth by the NYPD, as a means to signify both his inherent guilt and the need for a harsh sentence. By multiple accounts, Chavis’s team presented inadequate evidence behind the claim of gang membership. In Williams’s words, “they just said it,” again and again. In his aforementioned book, Vitale contended that the NYPD’s expanded gang suppression techniques emerged as a way for the police to continue to target New Yorkers of color once political pushback had taken away the wider net of stop-and-frisk. Under de Blasio, the police built gang databases, which allowed them to pinpoint particular individuals within low-income communities for the sort of invasive treatment previously applied more broadly under Bloomberg: “In both cases, black and brown youth are singled out for police harassment without adequate legal justification because they represent a ‘dangerous class’ of major concern to the police.” Williams’s story anecdotally supports this theory. He attested that, in the year or so prior to his arrest for attempted murder, he’d noticed that the police had been stopping fewer of the young people in his neighborhood. “I was always the exception,” Williams related. Evidently, he’d made it into the gang database.

form, and it says crazy stuff like ‘Wears certain colors’ – like red, blue, white, brown, purple, pink, yellow, orange,” Vitale revealed. “People can end up on the database in many ways. The police interrogate young people and try to get them to admit to it. They’re surveilling young people’s social media posts. If they’re Facebook friends with people or appear in photos with people, they’re considered potential gang members and get put on the database. 99 percent of the people on the city’s database are people of color.” When someone ends up in the database, “there can be many problematic consequences. Folks find that they’re subjected to intense surveillance.” The NYPD uses the security cameras at NYCHA developments to conduct gang investigations, he said. “They’re sitting in there, watching what everyone is doing on the playground, who they’re talking to, et cetera.” If arrested, suspected gang members can be “subjected to higher charges, higher bail amounts. If they are convicted of something, it sometimes results in enhanced sentencing. Also, they’re just more likely to get arrested or to be treated differently in routine traffic stops.” Gangi echoed Vitale: “We at PROP would not immediately accept an NYPD designation that someone is in a gang, given what we know about how the gang database is created and how it operates. We’re convinced that it has a lot of people on it who are not active in gangs.” Currently, Williams’s family is raising money on the website Fundrazr to hire a private appellate lawyer who’ll work to overturn the verdict against him. As of this writing, they’ve gathered $6,851 of a $15,000 goal. The 76th Precinct declined to comment for this story.

“We’ve seen a gang database intake

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May 2019

The Star-Revue’s Moms Tribute, 2019 Trump inspires this mom into action

ou may have seen Kathy Park Price around Park Slope or at monthly Community Board 6 meetings. She’s the chair of CB6’s human services committee, co-VP of Community Education Council (CEC) District 15 (whose schools include PS 24, PS 39, PS 118 and MS 51), and the founder of two civic engagement groups—Garden Train and Citizen Squirrel. Price was born in Seoul, South Korea; grew up in Atlanta until she was about four, and moved to New York after graduating college in 1996 with a political science degree. She grew up with a very volunteer-oriented mindset, which she attributes to her father. She’s lived in Park Slope since 2012, where she’s been raising her children, ages seven and five, with her husband. It was only after the 2016 presidential election that her involvement with various neighborhood groups really kicked off. She wrote, “On Nov. 9, 2016, I vow to make positive changes in my life as a result of last night’s election results,” on a Post-It note that she still has at home. “I don’t know why I wrote that, but I felt that the only thing I could control was myself, my little world,” Price said. “I can’t control what’s happening out there with the elections and the world, but I thought this I can do.” The speech made by former president Barack Obama on the night before the 2008 presidential election also helped her realize that one voice can make a difference. Specifically the line, “One voice can change a room,” has stayed with her ever since. “It sort of hit me that my interest in volunteering, paired with public service and service in the community through organizations, could be impactful,” she said.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Price’s idea to form Citizen Squirrel, an organization that supports families with elementary school children that want to be civically engaged, came last year when conversations about civic engagement at schools kept coming up. “We can, as a community, encourage and foster civic engagement – not relying on schools to teach everything,” she added. The idea behind Garden Train, District 15’s School Gardens Consortium that Price founded, was about shining a light on the gardens as a vehicle to grow and connect community. Acknowledging she’s not an educator or

Red Hook Star-Revue

by Erin DeGregorio a civic engagement expert, Price felt it was an ideal opportunity for parents, teachers and students to come together outside the classroom and get involved. So she reached out to Grow to Learn NYC, whose mission is to inspire, promote and facilitate the creation of sustainable gardens in city public schools. This past January, Price also held a Citizens Squirrel Civic Engagement Workshop for Families with Young Children, which was student-led and student-driven. Kids learned how to chant for a march and learned about Cafeteria Culture, an environmental education and advocacy organization that works with children to achieve plastic-free, zero waste, and climatesmart schools and communities. Price also handed out calendars with different ideas for families with young children to do throughout the year to foster civic engagement. Most recently she created a Citizen Squirrel play ballot, for kids 10 and younger, at the Participatory Budget Expo held in Park Slope. Kids went around to each of the 17 proposed participatory budget projects to learn more about them, received a stamp when they understood the concepts, and then picked six of their favorites. “People 11 and up could vote but I said, ‘Why not encourage 10 and under to learn and participate.’ A couple of parents thanked me for the ballot because they said they were able to attend the expo and focus more on it because the kids were learning about the projects too,” she said. “When we do things as a family, it reinforces values and allows the adults to participate too. So, while Citizen Squirrel is for kids, it’s also as much for the adults.”

Kathy Price at the Old Stone House’s annual Seed Celebration.

events. “My kids feel really comfortable; they’re not intimidated in the space or by grown-ups,” she said. “They know who their council member and assembly member are.” Though Mother’s Day is this month, Price noted that other involved parents, including fathers, deserve recognition as well any time of year. “There’s so much wisdom, love and power that’s brought to the community, and our area in Brooklyn is built on families,” she added.

Price hopes to create a resource guide for families that includes volunteer opportunities and contact info for family-friendly organizations. She’s also applied for a grant to do more civic engagement workshops since the January one was a pilot.

“Most recently she created a Citizen Squirrel play ballot, for kids 10 and younger, at the Participatory Budget Expo held in Park Slope.”

Grand Opening

“I’d love to expand and also teach other people to teach their own workshops because my idea for this isn’t to own it, but to grow it,” Price said. “To me what’s more valuable is fostering that culture.”

FAMILIAL TIES

Price bakes a lot with her kids, but also noted that a lot of their other activities together tend to relate to or seem influenced by community projects. Her children also occasionally attend CEC meetings, public community board meetings and other neighborhood

718 643-2737 718 643-2071 218 Columbia Street, near Union

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May 2019, Page 35

The Star-Revue’s Moms Tribute, 2019 10 tips to get your home ready for your newborn by Erin DeGregorio

irst-time expecting parents have a lot to do and prep for before the birth of their child. One of those things is getting a nursery ready, which might seem daunting when living in the city’s tight quarters. Amanda Wiss is the founder of Urban Clarity, a Fort Greene-based team made up of 12 professional organizers who help clients create enjoyable spaces for themselves. She spoke at the 2019 Brooklyn Baby and Family Expo, held on April 11 in Gowanus, and gave her Top 10 tips for designing and organizing a small nursery.

1. Buy storage-friendly furniture

like a crib with drawers for storing extra diapers and wipes. Furniture pieces can look aesthetically pleasing, but should be functional.

[because] the items are high up,” she said.

7. Avoid the glider that can take up a lot of space

you can get a compact chair that swivels instead.

8. Skip the toy bin

when not opened, things are put on top of the bin’s cover; when opened, little toys or pieces fall to the bottom. Bin lids can also close on kids’ hands if they’re reaching for something, Wiss added.

9. Rotate nursery decorations

you don’t need to feel like you have to display all the gifts and photos at the same time.

10. A donation station to manage the inflow and outflow of 2. Trick out your closet. outgrown clothes via a bin or “For anyone who has the ability to a bag. build, try to add as many shelves to a closet as you possibly can because shelves are the best way to optimize space,” Wiss said. “But if you’re not able to build it out and [you] have just a bar and a shelf, [use] a hanging bag. They’re fantastic for small linens and blankets.”

3. Convert your dresser into a changing table. 4. Opt for amni-crib

or multi-purpose crib if you don’t have the space for a full-sized one.

5. Containerize everything

use clear, stackable bins and label them. “You’re going to want to separate things by category because when you get to the next season or to the next clothing size, you don’t have to dig through all that stuff,” she added.

6. Go vertical – like hanging a shoe bag on the back of your closet door.

“It doesn’t need to have shoes in it; it should have other things at ams reach,” Wiss explained. “It can [store] baby Tylenol and a thermometer, for example, in a top pocket. Start grouping things in your mind based on frequency of use and accessibility.” Plus, instead of displaying items on dressers and other flat surfaces, you can go vertical with sturdy floating shelves for book storage or to show treasures off. “It’ll look much more intentional … and your child won’t be able to destroy them, when they’re mobile,

Amanda Wiss, founder of Urban Clarity.

Rachel Wiliams, STEM pioneer by Erin DeGregorio

t’s no secret that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) play an important role in our lives today. While there’s a push for more STEM education inside and outside the classroom, some kids just aren’t interested in science and math for one reason or another. Rachel Williams — the co-creator of Paige & Paxton Elementary STEM system and mother of two STEM-proficient millenials — helps parents raise confident kids at an early age through her STEM resources. Her work has received national acclaim, hosting workshops for educators across the country in elementary school classrooms and at universities. She also received the Soar Women’s Empowerment Summit’s Heroes in Education Award for her mentorship and service to the community. Williams was a featured guest speaker at the 7th Annual Brooklyn Baby and Family Expo, held in Gowanus on April 11. There she spoke to parents about the importance of STEM, in addition to the strategies and tools that can be used for eliminating math and science anxieties and gender bias. “All children need to get a STEM background if they’re going to be successful in the 21st century because communication and technology are moving at a rate faster than at any other time in history,” she said.

ADVICE FOR PARENTS

Williams explained that children already have an identity of what they’re good at and not good at by the age of 8. By introducing STEM to kids much earlier, especially to girls, they can become more interested in STEMrelated fields and could increase their aptitude in all subjects. She also said that trips to museums and planetariums can increase STEM awareness and interest. “STEM touches every facet of our lives — anything that your child’s interested in, you can find a STEM angle to that,” Williams added. “If you have Rachel Williams and Kelley Cambria at the a little girl and she likes bugs … don’t Baby and Family Expo in Gowanus. go ‘Ew, that’s gross’; say ‘That’s great! Parents who have math and science Did you know there’s a whole science anxieties should practice with their called entomology?’ … If you have a children, as they get older, like watchlittle boy who likes building, introing or reading online tutorials to betduce them to structural engineering.” ter understand topics or formulas. For those who want to do home exWilliams also emphasized that soft periments with their kids, Williams skills, like problem solving, teamwork warns that parents should know their and critical thinking, need to be fosscience and be accurate. Don’t guess tered as well. Lastly, she told the audior make up answers when you have ence that kids have to be comfortable the Internet at your fingertips. with failure. She also told parents in atten“Failure is what leads to confidence,” dance that kids under the age of five she explained. “If kids are afraid to shouldn’t be exposed to technology, fail, then they’ll never do anything and that technology should be limcreative or innovative.” ited to one hour per day for those in elementary school. Instead, parents PAIGE & PAXTON HISTORY can read aloud STEM-focused books The whole concept of Paige & Paxton grew out of Williams’ love for her two during storytime.

Continued on next page

Page 36 Red Hook Star-Revue

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May 2019

The Star-Revue’s Moms Tribute, 2019 Mom retires and starts family business by Erin DeGregorio

ickles are one of those condiments that you either love or hate. Brooklyn Whatever, a Flatbush-based pickling company, does pickling differently. For starters, they do not sell pickles – instead they pickle every other kind of vegetable you can imagine. Beets, string beans and carrots are just a few. To stand out from the crowd, their lines of products all start with “sh”; try saying shpickles, shmolives and shnuts 10 times fast without having a small shmile on your face. Rachel Shamah, 61, founded the business with her son Abe four years ago. Rachel had already retired from her career of being an advocate for children with disabilities, when her son suddenly lost his job. She was in a yoga class one day when the name “Shpickles” came to her – her last name that would be combined with a food. She wanted to make super healthy pickles, but not cucumbers like everybody else. So Rachel asked her son, a certified chef, if he’d like to go into business together. “I’ll never forget the day actually,” she said. “I asked him, ‘Why don’t we pickle?’ and he said, ‘Are you out of your freakin’ mind? To do this with you?’ I said, ‘Honey, you have to trust me on this. It’s such a dumb name, but who would forget it?’” With Abe’s expertise as a chef, the duo then came up with a Mediterraneanbased family recipe using vinegar, fresh garlic, salt, herbs and spices. “And we don’t use any dill in any of our vegetables. We use a different herb, but that’s our secret,” she said with a laugh. They then trademarked their business name, Brooklyn Whatever (named for

STEM Pioneer

(continued from previous page) daughters and a desire to do what was best for them. In the 1980s, she was looking to give them an edge in math and science that would open more opportunities for them. However, she found that the majority of available elementary STEM content was boring. So she started using two puzzle piece characters, Patty and Patrick, to teach some of the more complex concepts through storytelling. This approach

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whatever they would be making in the future) and began experimenting. For two years Rachel and Abe made sugarfree/certified vegan pickled broccoli, okra, cauliflower, mixed olives and more in an incubator kitchen located in Industry City and pasteurized the products. They labelled the products and sold them at food markets and street fairs throughout the boroughs.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Today Rachel runs the business and handles sales, while Abe runs warehousing and production in a Coney Island warehouse. She said that running a family business comes with its own challenges. It took Rachel and Abe awhile to come to grips with the new relationship. “If we weren’t partners, I’d have all the confidence that he could go out there and make it on his own,” Rachel said. “We love each other as mother and son, but it has grown into a relationship with respect and admiration in trying to make this business work and really having the same focus,” Rachel said. “Our relationship has really blossomed.” She added that the rest of the family is also involved. Rachel taught her three kids how to cook in their teens, feeling it was an important skill to learn as they got older. Abe and his father Eddie also currently bond in the kitchen by cooking and coming up with new food ideas for the business.

WHERE ARE THEY?

Abe and his Mom Rachel are a happy family creating happy foods!

with The Fresh Market, Wegmans and Stop & Shop — who just bought all their shpreads (apple butter, cherry jalapeño, hot pepper, jalapeño, blueberry, peppery peach and raspberry jams) in March. Their products can also be found in the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, located at Pier 1 on Brooklyn Bridge Park. And, as of mid-April, Rachel was negotiating with other major hotels located in Manhattan.

The company has landed accounts

The Brussels sprouts have been their best-selling product, according to Rachel. She also said customers love the mixed veggies, pickled watermelon rinds and cinnamon apples (with includes a large cinnamon stick in each jar). With summer just around the corner, non-pickled peach halves are trending. Abe, who was known as the

made the math and science more interesting for all of them to understand and enjoy.

designed with elementary teachers, who don’t have a STEM background, in mind.

Fast forward 20 years later, both daughters, Kelley and Jessica, are excelling in science and math-related fields and are actively involved in STEM pipelining programs for youth. In 2012, they convinced Williams to bring the characters back to life and build an elementary STEM initiative with the characters at the core.

Paige & Paxton was invited to 2016 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy STEM Education Summit, and the Paige & Paxton methodology has been discussed in Harvard University Graduate School of Education classrooms.

While Brooklyn Whatever doesn’t showcase its products at street fairs as much anymore, they now participate in trade shows at the Javitz Center. Plus, people can pick up shpickles and other shnacks at their local supermarkets and maybe even see a team member give a store demo.

Since then Williams has developed and authored over 18 educational texts (with Jessica as co-author to the storybook series and head of science content and curriculum) for kids as young as four years old. They’re also

Paige & Paxton products can be purchased at Blue Studios (396 Atlantic Ave.). For more information about Paige & Paxton or about the Williams family, visit paigeandpaxton.com.

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“Olive King” during culinary school, created a unique recipe for their shmolives, which are a specialty item because they’re made with very limited brine. With success comes lots of experimenting and failures along the way. Rachel said they’ve gone through a large upheaval in the last six months, finding that their habanera ketchup, mustard, sauerkrauts and asparagus weren’t popular enough for mass production. To learn more about Brooklyn Whatever and its products, visit brooklynwhatever.com or follow them on Instagram @brooklynwhatever.

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May 2019, Page 37

French Saint’s Incorrupt Heart Comes to Brooklyn by Erin DeGregorio

ast month, Brooklynites had the opportunity to see the incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney – also known as the Curé of Ars – as it continues to make its way through the United States. The Shrine of Ars, France, has entrusted the major relic to the Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization. It was on display for adoration for the faithful in the Brooklyn Diocese at Xaverian High School (Bay Ridge) and St. Thomas Aquinas Church (Flatlands). The public veneration was held at Xaverian on April 10, where dozens of people, including students, prayed and venerated the undecomposed heart. Deacon Kevin McCormack, principal of Xaverian High School, said they were asked by Father Michael Gelfant, pastor at St. Finbar Catholic Church

and associate state chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, if they’d be willing to host the relic. “We were, of course, very thrilled. Most of the places [along the tour] were seminaries, cathedrals or parishes, so we were one of the few schools that were able to host,” McCormack said. “It was definitely something unique to most of the kids, [and] most people in the school hadn’t seen something like this. It was a real honor and it introduced us – and even reintroduced others – to how important St. Jean Vianney is and to some of the mysteries behind the Church.” Jean Vianney became an ordained priest in 1815 after he and his family survived the dark years of the French Revolution. He was later assigned to the small famng community of Ars, whose parish had consisted of 260 people. The Knights of Columbus say

Celebrate Master Craftsmanship at Upcoming Craft in Focus Festival After six successful editions in Amsterdam, and a New York pilot in 2017, the Craft in Focus Festival will transform Industry City (238 36th St.) into an open workspace, full of fun and creativity. “The Craft in Focus Festival is excited to be back in Brooklyn to celebrate master craftsmanship with a large audience of all ages,” said festival founder Wendy van Wilgenburg. “Come and get your hands dirty during workshops and master classes by renowned international masters. Expect violin making, graffiti, weaving, stained glass, stone cutting, jewelry making, calligraffiti, fashion design, and more.”

tile institute HAWAR from the Netherlands, basketry by master Esmé Hofman, along with spoon making by Brooklyn Metal Works, Suminagashi (Japanese fabric marbling) by Textile Arts Center, and robot making and boat building for children by Open Source Gallery and KokoNYC.

Close-up of St. Jean Vianney’s incorrupt heart. (DeGregorio photo) that Jean Vianney became known for as people came from across Europe to his wise spiritual counsels and the gift see him. He also built an orphanage of reading hearts, often hearing con- for homeless children and received fessions for up to eighteen hours a day beggars with an open heart and hand.

Tony Bologna in our hearts Forever

The festival will take place May 18-20, 11 am to 6 pm daily. Tickets for Master Classes and Workshops will be available for purchase online beginning May 1, as well as on-site at the festival. For more information, visit craftinfocusnewyork.com/. - Erin DeGregorio

2007-2019

Guests can also look forward to workshops and demos including, but not limited to: airbrush by Dutch expert Marissa Oosterlee, eco-dyeing by tex-

Page 38 Red Hook Star-Revue

The Man, The Myth, The Legend... The Mustache

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May 2019

The Healthy Geezer by Fred Cicetti

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Q. What exactly does glaucoma do to your eyes? Glaucoma is defined as a group of diseases that can damage the eye’s optic nerve, which carries images from the eye to the brain. Here’s how glaucoma works: A clear fluid flows through a small space at the front of the eye called the “anterior chamber.” If you have glaucoma, the fluid drains too slowly out of the eye and pressure builds up. This pressure may damage the optic nerve. However, increased eye pressure doesn’t necessarily mean you have glaucoma. It means you are at risk for glaucoma. A person has glaucoma only if the optic nerve is damaged. Glaucoma can develop in one or both eyes. The most common type of glaucoma starts out with no symptoms. Without treatment, people with glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral vision. Eventually, the middle of your vision field may decrease until you are blind.

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Unfortunately, there is no cure for glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in the United States.

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Any vision that glaucoma destroys cannot be restored. Early diagnosis of glaucoma is extremely important, because there are treatments that may save remaining vision. Almost three million people in the U.S. have glaucoma. Those at highest risk are African-Americans, everyone over age 60, and people with a family history of glaucoma. Glaucoma is just one reason seniors should make regular visits to an eye doctor. Glaucoma is detected through a comprehensive eye exam that includes a visual acuity test, visual field test, dilated eye exam, tonometry, and pachymetry. A visual acuity test measures vision at various distances. A visual field test measures peripheral vision. In a dilated eye exam, a special magnifying lens is used to examine the inside of the eye. In tonometry, an instrument measures the pressure inside the eye. With pachymetry, an instrument is used to measure the thickness of your cornea, the transparent part of the front of the eye. The most common treatments for glaucoma are medication and surgery. Medications for glaucoma may come in eye drops or pills. For most people with glaucoma, regular use of medications will control the increased fluid pressure. Laser surgery is another treatment for glaucoma. The laser is focused on the part of the anterior chamber where the fluid leaves the eye. This makes it easier for fluid to exit the eye. Over time, the effect of this surgery may wear off. Patients who have laser surgery may need to keep taking glaucoma drugs. Studies have shown that the early detection and treatment of glaucoma is the best way to control the disease. So, have your eyes examined thoroughly and regularly if you are in a high-risk category. And that includes all of us geezers. All Rights Reserved © 2019 by Fred Cicetti

Red Hook Star-Revue

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May 2019, Page 39

Red Hook Star-Revue Wins Three Statewide Newspaper Awards

The Revue was honored in spot news for its photo and editorial coverage of an ad hoc funeral procession memorializing a well loved local denizen. The

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It’s 4:30 on Monday morning. An empty school bus rolls up Vana ge 6 p Brunt eeVFW Street. The flag outsidesthe flaps in the pre-dawn October chill. And the plate glass windows of the Red Hook Coffee Shop shine brightly in the dark, illuminating 80 year old Jose Antonio Piraquive, aka Tony, kneeling on the floor putting vegetables into the refrigerator. Tony hasn’t missed a day of work due to illness or other symptom of human weakness since 1973, when he opened his first restaurant in Williamsburg. “I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to work. I’ve got to make a good future for my daughters,” remembers Tony. “I think my medicine, what keeps me healthy, is the responsibility.” There can be no doubt that Tony has borne that responsibility well. The Red Hook Coffee Shop is a holdover from a time when the neighborhood’s businesses served truckers and factory workers—hence the early hours—but was used to being face to face with the to say, ‘what the hell is going on here?’ Tony’s discipline and acuity put both owner of the business, and here I was a Then I realized I had to be in the front of of his daughters through college and number,” remembers Tony “I didn’t like the business all the time.” Eventually he bought out his daughprovided comfortably for himself and that, so I quit and went back to the body his family. Yet, after many years of early shop. Today, I realize that was a big mis- ter’s godfather. His rent in Williamsburg was $2500 (a lot in in 1985), and when mornings spent on Van Brunt Street, take [to leave computer science].” one of his customers told him about an Tony will be hanging up his apron and 1973 was a big year for Tony—it was available storefront in Red Hook going retiring in a matter of months, or even weeks. “No matter what you do in life, it the year his second daughter was born, for only $600, he jumped on it without always comes to an end,” Tony reflects. the last time he got sick, and the year really giving the neighborhood itself ”I feel strong still, I want to still work, I he decided to “go independent.” His much thought. “I don’t know how I made it here, to love to work. But, in the same way, I’m daughter’s godfather owned several coffee and donut shops, and he offered be honest,” says Tony. “I didn’t know eighty years old. It’s a lot of years.” Tony the chance to be part owner in one Red Hook. I just saw the business, and I came. And people started to tell me Tony was born and raised in Bogota, for $10,000. “He set up the place very easily, with ‘you’re going to Red Hook, are you Colombia, and came to New York City in 1963 at the age of 21. “I love New York,” maybe $5000,” remembers Tony. “Now, crazy? Are you stupid? They’re going to says Tony. “This is the most beautiful it’s very difficult to start your business. kill you!” But he says he’s never had any problems. place in the Earth. All kinds of people go together here, no problem. It’s like a It’s now 5:30, and Tony’s first cusbig symphony, there’s different nationtomer of the day enters the shop, buys alities but everything is harmony.” two coffees, and leaves. “25 years ago, Shortly after arriving Tony enrolled this hour was extremely busy,” rememin an English course at New York Unibers Tony. “Busy, busy, busy, busy. And versity while working in an auto body now it’s nothing, because now there’s shop. One day in 1964, it was raining, no people, no enterprise. There was treand business was slow. Never a man mendous activity here.” to waste a productive day, “I said, ‘how He says this matter-of-factly, and it’s can I kill this day?’ So I went to the unhard to tell whether Tony is nostalgic employment office to get a better job. I for those earlier times or feels content wasn’t looking for a job, I was looking in the knowledge that it’s all the work for a better job.” of the invisible hand. “I think this is the What he found instead was a wife— —Jose Antonio Piraquive, country of opportunity for everyone,” after translating for a young Colombian aka Tony Tony says. “Here, people who want to woman he met at the unemployment make it, he makes it. People who want office he gave her a ride back to her home in Corona, Queens. She intro- In those days, you could decide every- to work, they get a job.” The American dream came true for duced him to his future wife, who was thing yourself, no big deal. There were “a young girl, all that, and more beauti- no regulations, no nothing in those Tony, at least—his hard work put both of his daughters through school and ful than the other one, so I liked her!” He days.” has allowed him and his family to travel The coffeeshop thrived. lent his future wife some English books “In those days there was really tre- and enjoy sophisticated tastes. “One of from NYU, and within a year they were mendous business, because there was my daughters is a lawyer, she’s indemarried with a daughter on the way. “My wife is very sophisticated, very still a lot of factories here in Brooklyn, a pendent, she’s got her own office, her educated,” says Tony. “If we met in Co- lot of activity,” remembers Tony. Every- own business. ge 1 Very respectable, very 18, Pa ” says Tony. “The other one, of lombia we’d never get married, because body made money. There were a lot r 20disciplined, Oc”tobe I cannot complain. She’s worked almost over there, with the classes, the last working people, a lot of factories. But there were some difficulties— fifteen years for the Department of Eduname is very important.” Over the next few years Tony got two Tony says he was almost run out of cation as a psychologist. She’s pretty degrees—one in electronics and an- business by his own employees, who smart, too.” .com Tony is a regular at Lincoln Center— other in computer technology. Imme- would steal from the cash register. “In ue ar-rev diatelyww after from the latter those days there was no cameras, no he played Tchaikovsky and Beethoven w.stgraduating he got a job as a computer engineer, but nothing. So for six months I was selling in the coffee shop until he realized it he didn’t like the company culture. “I a lot, but there was no money! I started was alienating his blue-collar clien-

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Founded in 2010, the Star-Revue has covered the Red Hook neighborhood for the past 9 years. It was recognized by the Press Association for its outstanding coverage of Hurricane Sandy. The Star-Revue distributes 9,000 papers monthly. In 2017 it was recognized by CUNY School of Journalism as the city’s best community paper.

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About the Star-Revue

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“The death of the Village Voice was a huge loss for the city. We are not oblivious to it and are developing similar quality for our readers,” said publisher George Fiala. “Our growth reflects the seeming retro desire for a good, exciting local newspaper that readers can look forward to each month. We are heartened by the reader and advertising response,” he added.

By Noah Phillips

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The Star-Revue has grown considerably over the past two adding writers, content and pages as it expands its local coverage throughout the borough.

Local! tic AND Art Exo , s ir o m , Me Section d Music e d n a p x RTS! E After three decades on a changing Van Brunt Street, R THE A FALL FO Tony from Red Hook Coffee Shop bows out

E OB ERIN

The NYPA spring convention brings together local newspapers from throughout the state. The weekend includes the Better Newspaper Contest as well as a full slate of educational seminars. Tables were filled with bundles and bundles of newspapers as publishers showed off their product. Adding to the notion that print is NOT dead, Kevin Slimp, newspaper consultant and technology trainer who gave eight seminars, observed, “Readers love a well-rounded newspaper they can hold in their hands, chock full of interesting, well written local news.”

story was written by Brett Yates, with photos by Micah Rubin. Noah Phillips wrote the winning feature story about a local luncheonette owner still opening up his shop at 5 am every day.

, CATH LSON S NE ARLE

he Star-Revue beat out all other Brooklyn newspapers in the annual Better Newspaper Contest, winning three awards. The prizes were announced at the April convention of the NY Press Association. This is the second year in a row that the StarRevue was the top award winner in Brooklyn.

And people started to tell me ‘you’re going to Red Hook, are you crazy?’

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Tony

tele—and is looking forward to spending more time playing chess with his grandchildren. “I like to travel,” says Tony. “I went to Europe already, so I’d like to go again. I’d like to go to China. China, I like the history, I’d like to see the Wall. I’d like to see the Galapagos, maybe the culture of the Incas in Peru. And I like to read a lot, so I’ll have time to read a lot.” It’s almost six o’clock in the morning, and Tony is behind in his work because he’s been talking to me. During our whole conversation, he’s been working: he’s finished putting the vegetables away, cleaned the grill in the kitchen, and made the coffee. His tone has been cheerfully stoic, the tone of a proud man who chose independence and self-improvement and is satisfied with the result. He now politely begins to hint that it’s time for me to leave so he can get on with his work. Before I go, I ask him how he feels about leaving Van Brunt Street, where he has spent so many years. “You don’t seem very emotional,” I say. “Oh yes, I am emotional,” he says. “This is like, better than my house. I’ve spent half of my life here. Really, I feel very sad. Like I said, I never had problems here. But, everything comes to the end, you know what I mean? I feel good, I feel my mind is working properly, and my body, I don’t take no medicine at all, nothing. So, so far so good. I’d like to come back twenty years from now and see the wonder of Red Hook. Red Hook is a tremendous place. It’s going to be beautiful, the water, the big buildings. When the big money comes here, it’s going to be a tremendous place here.”

October 2018

Star Revue 

FOCUS with Erin

on Summer Camps

UrbanGlass,

647 Fulton St. offers a unique camp experience for young artists looking to discover the magic of glass. With the careful guidance of expert teaching artists, weeklong summer courses are designed to introduce campers to various techniques like glassblowing, neon, beadmaking and more. Below are the Family Camps Weekend Workshops that are available with 2-for-1 tuition. Beadmaking Bonanza with Maria Aroche - July 6, 10 am- 5 pm. Ages 11 and up, 9 with a parent/guardian. Cost: $275 Plant Your Ideas: Recycled Glass Planters with Courtney McCloskey - July 7, 10 am- 5 pm. Ages 11 and up, 9 with a parent/guardian. Cost: $275 Don’t Lose Your Marbles with Ashley Goodwyn - 2 Sessions: Aug. 3-4, 10 am- 3 pm. Ages 11 and up, 9 with a parent/guardian. Cost: $550. The Basics of a Bubble: Glassblowing Weekend with Danielle Brensinger - 2 Sessions: Aug. 24-25, 10 am- 3 pm. Ages 11 and up, 10 with a parent/guardian. Cost: $460

Brooklyn Fencing Center, 600 Degraw St. offers a Summer Day Camp that focuses on fencing footwork, conditioning, bladework and bouting. It’s geared for children ages 7 and up, and is appropriate for novices. Equipment will be provided for new beginners. There are 7 sessions during the summer, camp is held every day 10 am- 3 pm: Tuition is $495 for each 5-day session of camp. Single days of camp are $125. Students/parents can sign up at brooklynfencing.com/camps or call 718-522-5822.

Curious Jane Camp Camp,

which has three Brooklyn locations, specializes in creative activities that revolve around design, engineering and science and empower girls through hands-on, project-based work. The ‘Zine Scene camp (being held Aug. 1216) will allow girls entering 4th through 6th grades to make their own mini publication and contribute to the winter issue of Curious Jane Magazine. The Sew Fun! camp sessions, for girls entering 4th through 6th grades, will be held Aug. 19-23 and Aug. 26-30. Participants will learn how to sew on a machine and create a variety of projects to use and wear. These camps will be taking place at the Curious Jane Workshop, 400 3rd Ave. Camp days run 9 am- 3:30 pm, with after-camp available until 5:30 pm.

The International School of Brooklyn, 477 Court St., has various camps still available including spots in Kitchen Chemistry, Ooey Gooey Science, Spy Science, and much more. The camp days here run 9 am- 3:30 pm (extended options are 8 am- 5:30 pm).

YokeyPokey Virtual Reality Club

537 Atlantic Ave. is holding Camp Yokey, which focuses on STEM – specificity on technology and coding aspects of gam-es for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Call 718-369-6320 or visit curiousjanecamp.com/locations for more information, including class descriptions, spot availability and prices. Note: Multi-Week Discounts are available ($15 off per week) – enter code “MULTI15” at the start of the online registration form.

Campers will learn how to design 3D objects, develop movement and interaction of the objects, play test their creations and import them into a virtual world. In addition, the camp has strong curriculum of art classes specifically where art and technology intersect. Located a block away from Barclays Center and easy to get to, campers will balance their time between technology, group and social activities and outside time. Upcoming classes include Virtual Reality Architects, Fortnite Gam-e Design with Unreal Engine, VR Art Studio Class, 3D Animation, Roblox Scripting & LUA, Drawing for Video Gam-es, Hardware and much more.

Dancewave is offering weeklong summer pro-

For more information about available classes, including tuition rates and registration, visit campyokey.com/campcourses?category=Summer+Classes. Use code “YOKEY2019” for $50 off each class.

grams for kids interested in dance and the arts. The Summer Dance Camp for 6- to 11-year-olds has an emphasis on balance, rhythm, coordination, muscle isolation and flexibility, as it incorporates musicality and personal expression. Participants ages 6-8 will have their camp July 8-12 and July 15-19. Participants ages 9-11 will have their camp July 22-26 and July 29-Aug. 2. Sessions take place 9 am- 3 pm. Tuition is $525 per week and $945 for both weeks.

The Muse Gowanus is the sister studio of The Muse Brooklyn that’s been operating

in Bushwick since 2011. The studios celebrate circus in all its forms: circus as therapy, as fitness, as a form of play, and especially as high-quality art and spectacular entertainment. The Gowanus location’s summer camp activities include aerial silks, trapeze, juggling, hula hooping, circus arts, free play, story-time, building & set painting, and much more. Recommended ages are for 5-12 year olds.

The Dance Intensive Prep camp has its students (ages 1113) participate in Modern, Ballet and additional technique classes, introduction to choreography and strength/conditioning. These classes take place 10 am- 3:30 pm, Aug. 5-9 and Aug. 12-16. Tuition is $600 per week and $960 for both weeks.

The Strong Circus Muscles Camp runs from June 17-21, and the Shapes in Space Summer Camp runs Aug. 26-30 at the Gowanus location,303 3rd Ave. Each camp lasts one week, 9:30 am- 4:30 pm. Those interested can visit themusegowanus.com/circus-camps to sign up.

Scholarships are available for students ages 7-18 – visit dancewave.org/scholarships/ for more details and for the application. Note: The deadline to apply is June 15.

But for those who can’t wait for summer just yet, The Muse Brooklyn,350 Moffat St. just launched a new beginners Aerial Kids’ Cirque class (for kids up to age 12) on Mondays, 4:30-5:30 pm, starting May 6 – plus a Ground Kids’ Cirque class (for kids up to age 12) on Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 pm, beginning May 8. themusebrooklyn.com/kids-classes.

Registration is priced at $620 per week; single day registration is priced at $130 per day. There’s a 10% off discount for siblings, and a 5% off discount for returning campers. Note: Contact studiomanager@themusebrooklyn.com to confirm the discounts.

Camps take place at the Dancewave Center, 182 4th St. Call 718-522-4696 or visit dancewave.org/summer-dance/ for more information and to register.

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May 2019

Red Hook Star-Revue

Food Art for Kids

is a hands-on, fun, nurturing and non-competitive cooking program- for kids in Brooklyn Heights. Their summer program- will be held Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 am- 2:30 pm – with early drop-off (starting at 8:30 am-) available at no extra cost and optional aftercare available. Campers sometimes go to Brooklyn Heights’ Green Market, located in Borough Hall, where they and the staff pick their own produce, which will be used later for that day’s recipe(s). Fridays are their pizza party days when the kids make pizza from scratch and top it with their favorite toppings. Plus, they also make ice cream- in a bag for dessert on Fridays. Weekly registration costs $550; daily registration costs $130. You can register by the day or by the week, allowing you to create your own schedule. For families seeking flexibility, Food Art for Kids is now offering Passport Registration – buy 5 or more daily registrations and receive a weekly rate ($20 off of each daily registration). Note: Passport Registration can be shared between siblings. The registration form and the line-up of cuisines can be found online at foodartforkids.com. Food Art for Kids is located at Grace Church (254 Hicks St.).

www.star-revue.com

May 2019, Page 27