Red Hook Star-Revue October 1 2012 by George Fiala

The

Red Hook StarªRevue SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

through Oct. 18, 2012

Phoenix Beverages to EDC: Let Us Out!

meeting of the 76th Precinct C o m munity Council, it was revealed that the Tyjuan Hill f o o t (76th precinct photo) bridges over Hamilton Avenue were ideal places for such stakeouts as they are supposedly frequented by prostitutes at night.

by Drew Petrilli he New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) currently has an Open Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new operation at the shed facility at Pier 11. The shed occupies the lot parallel to the Atlantic Basin on Red Hook’s waterfront. NYCEDC measures the massive structure as 20 feet high by 20 feet wide and 1,120 feet long. The shed is equipped with 22 roll-up doors, “12 of which are available for use”, according to the RFP. The sheds measure roughly 18 feet high by 20 feet wide. The RFP states that the proposal should suit the following objectives: • To promote commercial activities; • Support job creation and retention; • Provide local economic development opportunities; • Develop a financially feasible and economically viable project; • Minimize negative environmental impacts. The shed - according to the RFP - is on a lot designated as a Significant Maritime and Industrial Area, designed by the City to “protect and encourage working waterfront uses.” It can be expected that the proposals will be given prominence accordingly. Currently, the shed is occupied by a prominent Red Hook business, Phoenix Beverages. According to Rod Brayman, founder of Phoenix, the shed currently houses Phoenix’s recycling facilities, “among other things” peripheral to a beverage distribution business. However, according to Brayman, “it doesn’t make sense from the neighborhood’s or [Phoenix’s] point of view to have that [recycling facility] there.” Brayman cites the fact that Phoenix trucks have to use public roads to transport empty cans and bottles from their main lot to the recycling facility occupying the shed at Pier 11. The constant trips by the trucks add to unneeded wear on the public roads as well as air pollution from burning diesel fuel. It can also be deduced that it is in Phoenix’s best interests to consolidate the recycling facility to their own lot for the sake of efficiency. Rod Brayman and Phoenix Beverages want out of Pier 11 shed as soon as possible. Brayman states that moving the recycling facility would take no more than one to two months. “There is nothing in there that we couldn’t move quickly,” states Brayman. However, according to another prominent source in the company, Phoenix faces pressure from the NYCEDC to remain at the facility until another viable proposal results from the release of their RFP. From the city’s standpoint, this would ensure that there is an operation there capable of financially sustaining the shed structure. On the surface, it seems that there is no problem. As soon as a new proposal for an operation is granted by the NYCEDC, Phoenix has the green light to clear the shed within a month or two, thus saving Red Hook’s roads the wear of Phoenix trucks’ weight and the air of their diesel fuel emissions. However, Brayman is unsure “how serious the city is about the RFP”. Brayman may have a point. The NYCEDC’s stated deadline for the RFP is October 12. However, this deadline is followed by three subsequent ones, the latest of which is June 21, 2013. With this rolling deadline, the NYCEDC gives no indication that they will not extend it further, effectively scaling back a firm date of action for the Pier 11 shed indefinitely. This may correspond with the NYCEDC’s interests. If Phoenix is under pressure to postpone the consolidation of their recycling operation until a new tenant moves into the facility, the rent on the city’s shed remains paid. The NYCEDC has released an RFP for the shed, but what incentive do they

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(continued on page 3)

Autumn leaves bring fall colors to President Street (photo by George Fiala)

Questions remain in police shooting

by George Fiala

special operation of the 76th precinct ended in a man’s death on Thursday, September 20. Tyjuan Hill, age 22, was killed with a bullet to the back of his head after allegedly threatening the police with a loaded gun. According to the official police report, he lived at 626 Clinton Street in the Red Hook Houses. He lived with his mother, 44 year-old Carol Hill. A special unit of the 76th Precinct created to arrest the clients of prostitutes, dubbed “Operation Losing Proposition,” was staked out at Huntington and Henry Streets. A female officer posed on the street as a prostitute while the rest of the squad lay in wait. At the most recent

Also in This Issue: Peacemaking at Justice Center page 5

The

Blue Pencil Lunar Revue

Spoofs page 10 new original crossword puzzle page 11

plus lots more!

Paper Swan at Jalopy page 17

The

Red Hook StarªRevue

October 1 - 15 2012

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Wednesday, October 10

Table of Contents

The Center for Urban Pedagogy’s annual benefit will be an evening of conversation and cocktails with urban enthusiasts. The event will take place at The Green Building, 452 Union Street, 7:30 - 10 pm.

Happenings....................... 2 Restaurant Guide....... 16 Police News................... 4, 5 Paper Swan............... 17 Newsbriefs..................... 6, 9 Arts Calendar............. 18 Spoof............................... 10 Classifieds................. 19 Crossword....................... 11 Sports....................... 20

Saturday, October 13

6th Annual Red Hook Film Festival. Films produced by local Brooklyn filmmakers will be shown at BWAC. They will continue the next day, October 14th. BWAC is located at 499 Beard Street. Screenings begin each day at 1 pm. Showings include The Sex Life of Robots, Selected Shorts of Donald O’Finn, and My Brooklyn. For a full schedule see www.RedHookFest.com The Intercourse, 159 Pioneer Street, presents Needle Through Thumb, a program of experimental 16 mm film, structural and funny. It is curated by Alexander Steward. The cost is $10 and it begins at 6 pm Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour will take place from noon to 6 pm. It will continue the next day also from noon - 6 pm. There will be a closing party at 6 pm on Sunday. This year there are 150 artist participating in the event, which stretches across all of South Brooklyn: Gowanus, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, and Cobble Hill in 40 different venues. When you wonder through the residential and industrial streets on this self guided tour you will be able to discover the artist behind interesting, unique, fabulous, and brilliant creative art! Check out http://www.agastbrooklyn.com for a list and map of participating artists

Staff

Kimberly G. Price.......................................Editor/Publisher George Fiala.......................................... Graphics/Publisher Alexandra Gillis..................................................... Reporter Drew Petrilli.......................................................... Reporter Greg Algarin-Marquez .............................................Politics Vince Musacchia..................................................Cartoons Erik Penney...................................................... Restaurants Eric Ruff............................................................... Calendar Matt Graber...............................................Special Projects Sara Saldutti............................................Retail Advertising Howard Boynes................................Corporate Advertising

Contributors

Mollie Dash, Rich Feloni, Mary Anne Massaro, Tom Martinez, Mary Ann Pietanza, Michael Racioppo

Sunday, October 14

Member @RedHookStar

Happenings

Volume 3 No.19

www.facebook.com/ redhookstarrevue

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

Brooklyn Museum presents The Orchestra of Saint Luke’s at 2 pm. The ywill be performing Baroque in Pieces, a program exploring the music that inspired Bach and his Baroque contemporaries. Followin the performance there will be a gallery tour. Empty Lot Restoration Pilot & Native Re-Seeding Experiment is a program of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. Participants will learn to developm techniques for converting abandoned urban plots into productive ecological spaces. It is taking place at the Salt Lot, which is located at 2 Second Avenue at 5th Street. The time of the event is from 11 am - 3 pm

Monday, October 15

Free flu shots are sponsored this year by local Assembly Member Joan Millman. 341 Smith Street. Call (718) 246-4889 to reserve a shot.

Star-Revue Community Calendar Community Board 6: All meetings at 6:30 pm

Tue. Oct. 9 Executive Committee: Presentation and review of proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Capital and Expense budget priorities. Cobble Hill Community Meeting Room, 250 Baltic Street Mon. Oct. 15 Economic/Waterfront/Community Development and Housing Committee at P.S. 32 Samuel Mills Sprole 317 Hoyt Street, Auditorium Wed. Oct. 17 Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Committee Meeting Presentation and discussion with representative for Prospect Park on Prospect Park-related planned and contemplated projects, programs and policies of interest to park users and supporters. Litchfield Villa, Conference Room 95 Prospect Park West (inside Prospect Park at 5th Street)

other meetings:

The Brooklyn hearing on City Council Redistricting will be taking place on October 11th, from 5:30 - 9 pm, at Medgar Evers College, Founders Auditorium, 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)’s Annual Benefit. Join artists, designers, community advocates, and other urban enthusiasts for an evening of conversation & cocktails, October 11, 6 - 7:30 pm; Benefactors’ Cocktail Reception, 7:30 - 10 pm; The Green Building, 452 Union Street at Bond Street. Stop and Frisk presentation, Monday, October 15, 7:30 pm Red Hook Initiative, 767 Hicks Street. Program includes Activist speakers and the release of the RHI Report on Stop and Frisk. It’s My Park Day, The Friends of Carroll Park will be out pruning, planting bulbs and performing a general cleanup of the entire park, 11 am - 3 pm, October 20, Carroll Park between Court/Smith/President/Carroll Streets. MANUFACTURE NEW YORK Kickstarter Launch Party, Monday, October 15th from 7 pm. Brooklyn Farmacy 513 Henry Street (at Sackett St) Brooklyn, NY 11231 WIDOW JANE WHISKEY LAUNCH PARTY Single Barrel Bourbon Friday, Oct. ober19th From 7 to 10 pm Signature Cocktails BBQ & Live Bluegrass Music ,Whiskey Distillation & White Lightning from the Still. Cacao Preto, 218 Conover Street

Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue

Tuesday, October 16

Friends of Firefighters Fifth Annual Fundraiser will happen from 7 - 11 pm at their headquarters located at 199 Van Brunt Street. For $75 per person one receives dinner and cocktails. For more information call 718 643-0980.

Wednesday, October 17

Gowanus Canal Conservancy presents a lecture, Going Native at the Gowanus Canal and beyond, with Heather Liljengren. She works for the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation. Heather will discuss the different native plants suitable for shoreline restoration projects in New York City. BuildItGreen!NYC’s Gowanus Warehouse, The lecture will be given at 60 Ninth Street at 7:30 pm.

Thursday, October 18

Brooklyn Museum, located at 200 Eastern Parkway, presents Sensory Tour: Jean-Michel Othoniel: My Way. This tour is designed for individuals who are blind or have low vision, but it is open to all. Participants are asked to arrive at 6 pm. To RSVP call (718) 501-6229.

Saturday, October 20

Walking tour of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, begins at 10 am. Starting at 401 Hicks Street (formerly St. Peter’s Church), it will end up at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish.

Sunday, October 21

Gowanus Canal Conservancy along with partners will be giving away 150 free trees at the Salt Lot, 2nd Avenue and Fifth Street from 11 - 3 pm. Brooklyn Museum, Panel Discusssion: Voices Her’d Visionaries, 2 pm. A team of young women from NYC’s low income communities who create public art around issues relevant to their lives, discuss their recent mural on the Gowanus Arts Building.

Ongoing

Carroll Gardens Library, Henry and Union Street, presents Storytime with Carol & Friends at 10 am every Saturday. Free admission is given to children 2 - 4 years-old. Carroll Gardens Library presents a French Children’s Film Series on the first Friday of each month. The series begins at 3:45 pm at the library. The first film shows on October 12th and is called “Zarafe.” Recommended for children 7 years and up, Zarafe is an animated move about a 10 year-old escaped slave and an orphaned giraffe named Zarafe.

www.RedHookStar.com

Through October 18, 2012

(continued from page 1)

Phoenix Beverages seeks other uses for the Pier II shed

have to grant a proposal if Phoenix has proven an economically feasible tenant thus far from the corporation’s point of view? Craig Hammerman, of Community Board 6 (CB6), feels the NYCEDC’s incentive should come from the community’s interest - the community in which they allegedly want a new waterfront operation as quickly as possible. Hammerman states that the corporation has made no effort to consult with the community’s liaison to elected officials in the granting of this RFP. CB6 is “totally in the dark” about the RFP’s granting, states Hammerman. Red Hook residents feel the effects of Phoenix’s trucks on their roads — breathe the effects of the trucks’ diesel emissions. Hammerman states that also, economically, “The community has a significant stake in its waterfront.” The shed and its surrounding lot takes up a

The stalled RFP for a new operation at the shed is considered a “lost opportunity” by Hammerman. In regards to relations between the NYCEDC and Red Hook, the corporation is “disconnected from the community and has been for some time.” The fact remains that a gigantic facility occupying space on the waterfront is ripe for opportunity to fulfill rent obligations to the city as well as the opportunity for economic development in the area and the betterment of the neighborhood as a whole. Brian McCormick, a community member who is knowledgeable on waterfront issues, has a few ideas for the shed. For practical purposes, McCormick suggests a boat maintenance facility. Despite the boat traffic in the harbors and Red Hook Container Terminal (RHCT), McCormick states that “boat maintenance facilities don’t really exist here.”

“The stalled RFP for a new operation at the shed is considered a ‘lost opportunity’ by Hammerman. In regards to relations between the NYCEDC and Red Hook, the corporation is ‘disconnected from the community and has been for some time.’ ”

large chunk of the waterfront, a chunk that Phoenix Beverages has made clear they no longer want any part of.

Red Hook Star-Revue

It is McCormick’s idea that in order for the Pier 11 shed to fulfill its potential for Red Hook, it would be wise for the

The shed overlooking Atlantic Basin is currently used for recycling by Phoenix Beverages. An alternative suggested use is for boat maintenance facility (photo by George Fiala)

NYCEDC to grant not one, but several proposals, as the space the shed occupies clearly allows usage by multiple businesses. Along with a possible boat maintenance facility or storage facility for excess cargo from the RHCT, there could be, according to McCormick, facilities for the storing of smaller, personal vessels such as kayaks and canoes. If a large

www.RedHookStar.com

waterfront-oriented operation, such as a boat maintenance facility were coupled with a publicly accessible business in the shed, then “you’d have economic development, you’d have jobs.” If the NYCEDC cared to, it may listen to the prominent businesses and residents of Red Hook when granting its RFP. It may expedite the RFP process and fulfill the potential of the massive- and massively underused - shed at Pier 11.

Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 3

ILA negotiations extended for three months by Drew Petrilli

ccording to an International Longshoreman Association (ILA) press release, negotiations between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have extended the collective bargaining agreement to December 29, 2012, originally set to conclude on September 30. This cooling off period is set to last exactly 90 days. Speculation suggests that a motivating factor for the deferment of negotiation is the upcoming holiday season. According to a prominent source on the waterfront, much of the goods intended for sale during the November-January holiday season (including toys, electronics, and liquor) have already arrived in the ports. However, the extension on ILA-USMX negotiations will halt the possibility of a work-stoppage which may slow the unloading of the cargo containers onto barges and trucks, affecting the movement of goods from the East Coast docks to store shelves across

the country.

Win for NYC

The order is seen as a positive thing for New York City shipping companies. The break is also seen as positive for ILA members on the other side of the negotiating table, as - according to another industry source - more overtime is made available during the holiday season. There “is not a huge spike” in holiday traffic on the docks according to the source, but enough increase in business on the docks provide ILA members with more overtime wages than normal. Retroactive benefits for ILA members must be considered in the case of tabled negotiations. In unionized business, retroactive benefits imply that when a contract negotiation is pushed back from its original deadline (in the case of the ILA contract, September 30), occasionally union members can expect that increases in standard and overtime wages, resulting from a better contract,

will be paid back to individual members retroactively, starting from the date of original deadline until the date that the contract is signed (in this case late December, barring any dispute.) This ensures that union members do not lose out on wage increases that could have taken effect at an earlier date. In short, if an ILA member works at a wage set by his/her old contract in the intermittent time between a contractual negotiation deadline and the date the new contract (with a better wage) is signed, he/she should be paid the difference of the months between the date the contract is signed and the original deadline for said settlement of the contract. According to a union source, retroactive benefits are “on the backburner” of the negotiations. “There is always a chance that they (retroactive benefits) may not take place. Both the ILA and USMX, with the help of the Federal Mediation and Conciliatory Service

Loading and unloading containers is still a daily site at the containerport. Multiple issues forced the contract extension, including the holiday season and the presidential election (photo by Fiala)

have been placated by this extension of negotiations. Further dispute and the possibility of a strike remains to be seen come December 29, 2012.

Crime is down, according to Schiff

by Rich Feloni

hough it came only three weeks after the last one, it is a good sign that Tuesday’s 76th Precinct community council meeting for October was much less eventful than September’s.

her parking spot, the car’s window was broken and the GPS missing. The two suspects were then arrested. Both were found to have long histories of grand larceny and robbery.

Precinct Captain Jeffrey Schiff noted that the crime rate has been seesawing all year, but said he was happy to announce that as of this week, there have been ten fewer crimes in the precinct than in 2011. There have been 21 fewer robberies than last year’s 101, and 15 fewer crimes in the past 28 days than the same period last year.

“This is a perfect example of stop and question,” said Schiff, referring to the police’s ability to investigate a suspicious individual. “How often do you see a guy trying to sell a GPS on the street?”

No one present would speak about the shooting on September 20, when an officer fatally shot a fleeing man under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway overpass. When the Star-Revue’s publisher George Fiala pressed the issue, Schiff said that this was a special isolated incident and was being investigated. Focus was kept on the overall decrease in crime. “We’ve made a significant dent,” said Schiff. As the captain discussed at last month’s meeting, crime is still attributed mostly to kids who are up to no good. But this time robberies are being overshadowed by grand larcenies. Schiff noted that Smith Street is a popular destination for thieves to sell stolen items. One incident in particular caught the attention of the precinct. Two officers noticed two individuals trying to pawn a GPS device. They approached the suspects and got consent to examine the GPS. The cops travelled to the home address that was stored in the device and canvassed the apartment building. A woman told them that the device looked like the one she had in her car. When she arrived with the police at

Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue

Stop and question

Schiff said many of these grand larcenies and burglaries are occurring between 8 am and noon. Schiff has responded by extending the hours where kids can be labeled as truants to 1:30 p, paying more attention to Carroll, Smith, Warren and Court Streets. Officer Brady of Crime Prevention spoke about “Operation ID,” a campaign to get citizens to register the serial numbers of their electronic devices with their names discreetly inscribed on them. Since many thefts of devices such as iPhones and portable video games occur at school, Brady and Schiff discussed how they are particularly targeting young people. Officers are being sent to PTA meetings to get kids and parents to go through the registration process on-site. Schiff hopes that this can help with the problem of young thieves replacing SIM cards from stolen phones with their own cards, giving the impression that the device was originally theirs. Sabrina Carter of the Community Justice Center spoke at the end of the meeting. “I hear all these statistics about kids committing robberies and it’s driving me crazy,” she said. Carter mentioned several programs the Justice Center offers, such as drawing

Sabrina Carter of the Community Justice Center speaks about putting youths on the right path as Captain Schiff of the 76th Precinct listens (photo by George Fiala)

and photography classes. Nancy Carbone of the 9/11 memorial organization Friends of Firefighters was

in the audience and addressed Carter. “You’ve sent some kids to us,” she said, “and they were terrific.”

Police shooting

Tyjuan’s mother was unconvinced of the official story. She was quoted in the NY Post saying, “He knows better than to carry a weapon. [And] he had no trouble getting a girl. He was a very handsome guy.” People on the streets of Red Hook are also questioning the allegations. One source who wishes to remain anonymous, reported that she saw blood and pieces of brain on a fence at the scene of the shooting the next morning. She wondered why it wasn’t cleaned. Others were curious that someone could produce a weapon as they were in the process of being handcuffed. Many were sorrowful that a police operation targeting prostitution could result in a young man’s death. This year seems to have produced a larger than usual number of police shootings, including the recent death of a 22 year-old veteran in Queens, who was shot in his car. Nine bystanders were hit by ricocheted bullets outside the Empire State Building earlier this summer. In June, a Brooklyn woman was killed by an allegedly accidental shot that hit her in the chest. An unarmed bodega worker was also shot and killed by police officers as he fled a robbery in the Bronx. Residents may be questioning whether this fatal shooting is another unnecessary death at the hands of the NYPD.

(continued from page 1)

Around 10 pm on the evening of September 20th, a 1999 Mazda carrying four men allegedly stopped and propositioned the undercover female detective. The police report states, “The back-up officers then stopped the auto to place the occupants under arrest. One of the suspects fled from officers who gave chase and apprehended the suspect on Hamilton Avenue near West 9th Street. As officers struggled with the suspect, he resisted being handcuffed and produced a loaded 9MM handgun and pointed it at one of the officers who fired one round fatally wounding the suspect in the head. EMS also responded to the location and pronounced the suspect DOA [Dead on Arrival] at the scene.” The 76th Precinct refused to comment further on the case, citing the official investigation that is automatic following a police shooting. The Star-Revue was referred to NYPD Internal Affairs. Initial phone calls did not produce any new information. The three other perpetrators were held by police and later released, although at press time their names were unavailable.

www.RedHookStar.com

Through October 18, 2012

Navajo peacemaking gets rolling at the Justice Center by Alexandra Gillis

new program is making its first steps towards integrating into the Red Hook court system. Peacemaking is a style of court mediation inspired by the justice system of the Navajo Tribes. Participants would be given the chance to work out a case that would normally be handled in the court system through a series of conflict resolution meetings. During a peacemaking session, participants sit in a circle so that everyone is facing each other; victim, offender, parents, community members, and all those involved get together with a designated “peacemaker” to talk through the situation at hand. This western concept of impartiality divorces from the idea of winners and losers and tries to repair relationships so they can move forward. Peacemaking has inspired other nonNative programs such as victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, community conferencing, restorative justice panels, and neighborhood accountability boards. Although these programs follow the more informal restorative justice strategies, there is a distinct difference between peacemaking and other non-Native mediations. Barbara A. Smith from the Chickasaw Nation explains the difference is that mediation is “about an issue” whereas “peacemaking is about relationships.” When it comes to repairing relationships the peacemaking program is expected to be a good tool for juvenile cases. If it is a case of truancy, Judge Alex Calabrese explains sometimes there are a lot of factors involved with teens missing school. The peacemaking program

Operation “Red Dawn” nabs local drug dealers

can attempt to find out the reasoning, resolve issues between parent and child, and rebuild the confidence of the person involved. Since peacemaking makes an attempt to handle a case outside the court system the teen in the case can have a chance to keep their criminal record clear. When the court decides that peacemaking is a viable option, the community gets a resolution. From there, if peace-

“Leaders of the Navajo Nation came to visit the Red Hook Justice Center and said it was the most like the Native American tribal courts that they have ever seen. ‘There are fewer compliments that I would treat as higher,’ said Judge Calabrese.” making is successful, and the victim is satisfied with the outcome, most the time the District Attorney’s office can dismiss the case. Peacemaking Circle Coordinator, Julie Marthaler of Minnesota explains, “from my experience, the least amount a child can be involved in a traditional court system, the better. Why would we over-expose them?” Setting up Native-style programs in non-native settings requires a great deal

of responsibility. According to Justin A. Barry, Chief Clerk of the New York City Criminal Court, in the city’s court system “we don’t have the cultural context for this in New York City,” he says. “There would have to be a whole lot of education, an education process for everybody involved in this sort of thing.” When laying the foundation for this program the Red Hook Justice Center is very aware of this responsibility. As Judge Calabrese explains, “They’re looking to Red Hook to take their Native American tradition.” And Red Hook seems to be the right place for it. Leaders of the Navajo Nation came to visit the Red Hook Justice Center and said it was the most like the Native American tribal courts that they have ever seen. “There are fewer compliments that I would treat as higher,” said Judge Calabrese. As far as choosing the peacemakers, Julie Marthaler said, “leaders will emerge naturally.” Already, some of Red Hook’s community leaders have signed up to participate. Wally Bazemore has been active in starting the peacemaking program, along with being active in many other aspects of the community. The Justice Center approached Bazemore with information about peacemaking. He is part Native American; his Grandmother is from the Cherokee Nation. After learning more about what the program was intending to do, Wally said he knew what an asset it could be to the community. When asked what he can bring to the circle Bazemore said, “what I can bring is a lot of experience.” He was been a

member of MAD DADS (Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs And Social Disorder) when it first came to Red Hook in the nineties. He worked for the New York City Housing Authority for 15 years, along with the Justice Center in the public safety committee, he is a current board member of PAVE Academy, a previous member of the Old Timer’s board, and the past president of the Red Hook Lions Club. The Red Hook Community Justice Center has training sessions and meetings set up from now until November 29th. A roster of peacemakers should be finalized by December, and the program is set to start receiving cases as early as January 2013. To learn more about peacemaking, email Erika Sasson sassone@coutinnovation.org or Brett Taylor taylorb@ courtinnovation.org or call at (646) 386-5922

defining feature of Red Hook,” he said.

It is arguably not the best idea to name a major drug bust after an 80s film about Soviet forces invading the US, but “Operation Red Dawn” has left Red Hook at least a little bit safe.

About 45 citizens attended the monthly The Union Street precinct community council meeting, and about half that many attended the one “homeinofOctober. the legendary Thursday Night Jam”

Star Theater

“Red Dawn” was a six-month operation that gathered enough evidence to first arrest six drug dealers with ties to the Houses. They had been dealing out The Hook’s Local Newspaper of apartments on Dwight and Lorraine Streets.

The Red Hook Star-Revue

King’s County District Attorney, Charles J. Hynes, announced on September 5 that the 76th Precinct arrested twelve major drug dealers. Police seized substantial quantities of cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

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On the same day, Hynes announced the operation’s success, police executed four search warrants that resulted in the arrests624-5568 of six more conspirators. george@RedHookStar.com “When recent organized drug activity718 in the Red Hook housing developments101 AllUnion twelve areStreet being tried on possession Brooklyn, 11231 Brooklyn, NYNY 11231 created a risk to all that had been ac- charges, conspiracy in the fourth degree complished, my office and the NYPD and related sale offenses. quickly mobilized to address the situa- “With this drug dealing dozen behind 718 624-5568 tion,” Hynes said in a public statement. bars,” announced NYPD Commissioner

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Union Street

Sara Saldutti

Some residents had already heard the news before it was announced to residents at the town hall meeting in late September. Everyone appreciated the effort, but according to longtime Houses resident Wally Bazemore, 60, “It would take a major bust to shake up the community.” Bazemore thinks that police cannot be relied on to do everything. “People are too concerned about themselves to take action,” he said. Julian Adler, project director of the Red Hook Community Justice Center disagrees. “There’s always a high level of community engagement. I think that’s a

Red Hook Star-Revue

Justice Center is at 44 Visitation Place

Raymond Kelly the day of the arrests, “Red Hook Houses is safer and cleaner today.” 76th Precinct Captain Jeffrey Schiff said he understands where people like Bazemore are coming from, but wants lowered crime stats to make citizens feel safe. “It’s tough, but I’m doing my best to let the people know what’s going on,” he said. —Rich Feloni

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Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 5

Star-Revue

News Briefs

Shuffleboard approved!

The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club has finally been approved for a liquor license after multiple heated CB6 meetings. Ashley Albert and Jonathan Schnapp went back to the shuffling board and brought compromises to the community board. Revisions included moving last call to 11:45 pm with a 12:15 am closing time Sunday through Wednesday, and a 1:45 am last call and 2:15 am closing Thursday through Saturday. They also reduced the maximum capacity from 500 to 300, scraped the roof plans, included an inside smoking area to prevent outside noise, added more heavy duty sound proofing, and put together security measures to regulate the flow of traffic. Royal Palms is due to open April of 2013.

National Newspaper Week

National Newspaper Week (NNW) runs from October 7-13. NNW is the only observance of newspapers during the year. Newspaper Association Managers (NAM) first sponsored NNW in 1940 and has continued the tradition ever since. This year’s theme is “NEWSPAPERS - The Cornerstone of Your Community.” The Star-Revue aims to keep you informed and provide you with top of the line journalism. We take great care to lovingly create the best possible product we can muster. Thank you to the greatest community for all of your loyalty and dedication.

garden to help absorb and filter storm water runoff. All volunteers are asked to dress appropriately, wear closed toe shoes and bring plenty of water. To participate in the event, email volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org. The event will take place from 11 am-3 pm at the Salt Lot located at 2nd Avenue and 5th Street.

In order to participate in the upcoming Presidential election, all voters must be registered by October 12th. New York state has now made it possible to register online. Polling sites have also changed this election season. To check where to go, call (866) VOTE-NYC. For more general information or to register to vote visit www.vote.nyc.ny.us “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

News from the 76th Precinct

Please send us your feedback to Editor@ In their monthly newsletter, the 76th Preredhookstar.com or mail to Editor, 101 cinct reminds residents to protect valuUnion Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. ables in their cars, keep apartment doors and windows locked when not at home Free Trees On October 21st, the Gowanus Canal and to remain vigilant about identity theft. Conservancy is teaming up with Mil- For more information or tips on these topliontreesNYC, New York Restoration ics, call the precinct at (718) 834-3203 or Project and Build It Green! NYC to email Carl.Bredy@NYPD.org. provide 150 free trees to residents. The Gun Stop Program offers rewards of up to Conservancy is one of fourteen locations $1,000 for anonymous information leadacross the city that will allow people ing to the arrest of an individual in posto adopt the trees for their homes and session of illegal handguns. The program yards. Adopters can choose their tree in began in 2001. Since that time, 2,700 advance online to be picked up between guns have been taken off the streets and 11 am-1 pm the day of the event. almost 5,000 arrests have been made. The The Conservancy will also bring volun- program has approved $1.7 million in reteers out to help build a new compost wards for arrests with illegal weapons. windrow from 8,000 pounds of food With the release of the new iPhone 5 on scraps. They will be building a new rain September 21, the precinct warns that

the device will draw a “criminal element,” and that owners should be aware of their surroundings. Users should also activate the iCloud feature so that it may be tracked if lost or stolen.

Housing for Homeless

Craig Hammerman, District Manager of Community Board 6 (CB6), is setting up a public information meeting regarding a potential homeless shelter in north Carroll Gardens/Red Hook. Housing Solutions USA/Aguila is a Bronx based non-profit organization that provides services to the homeless. They have submitted a proposal to the Department of Health to provide services and a homeless shelter which will house up to 170 single adults at 165 West 9th Street between Court Street and Hamilton Avenue. The building was constructed in 2002. As recently as 2006, it was being offered as luxury co-op apartments. In 2009, apartments were being offered for rent at $4,250 per month. Advertised by Awaye Realty, a Court Street real estate sales firm, there was evidently no market for the apartments. In a letter faxed to CB6, Robert Hess, a former Bloomberg official and now CEO of Housing Solutions/Aguila, writes, “Our services will be tailored to meet each client’s unique needs. We seek to meet those needs through a comprehensive continuum of care, knowing the lasting, positive change cannot occur unless the complexity of the problems our clients face is acknowledged and addressed.” Anticipating controversy, most probably the NIMBY syndrome (Not In My Back Yard), Hammerman is bringing the matter to the attention of the community. The purpose of the meeting which has not yet been scheduled - is to learn more about the proposal.

We are across from Coffey Park (718) 923-9880

Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through October 18, 2012

Images of Red Hook Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) Gallery is celebrating the book launch of Thomas Rupolo’s photography through November 6. Through his eyes Images of Red Hook explores an “in-depth view of this fascinating and vibrant place,” according to Brian McCormick, CoFounder and Director of Development at BGI. Rupolo’s first book, Images of Red Hook is a “visual representation of this unique part of Brooklyn,” says McCormick. The collection includes over 120 images of industrial spaces, urban mosaics, sunsets, bygone cranes and other past and present icons of Red Hook. Images of Red Hook will be on sale at BGI for $20. Thirty percent of book sales will be donated by the artist to support BGI’s work. Sponsors include Brownstoner.com, Brooklyn Brewery, Fairway Market, Waterfront Wine and Spirits, with additional support from the O’Connell Organization.

Thomas Rupolo signs copies of his new book at the October 6th book launching party.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and for special events. They are located at 153 Columbia Street between Kane and Degraw Streets. For more information call (718) 522-0193 or visit brooklyngreenway.org - Kimberly Gail Price

New venue debuts in Red Hook

Contemporaneous, in partnership with Amsterdam Presents, performed Steve Reich’s Tehillim and Judd Greenstein’s Vayomer Shlomo at a new venue “Van Dyke Park located at 98A Van Dyke Street. Contemporaneous is comprised of 40 musicians. They have played concerts all over New York as well as being featured as guest artists for the Tribecca New Music Festival, Dumbo Arts Festival, and in California in the Berkley Arts Festival. (photo and caption by Alexandra Gillis)

Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 7

The

Red Hook Star Revue ª

Opinion:

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

by Michael

Racioppo

A worthy experiment

ate Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis famously said - when referring to states rights - “It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.” States, of course, have had some pretty horrific “experiments,” i.e. racial segregation and poll tax’s operating under the guise of “states rights.” But there have also been state “experiments” that are successful and lead as a model for the nation. A prime example of this would be universal healthcare in Massachusetts which is now the model for nation under “Obamacare.” In New York State, with all the political corruption that has gone on - from Republicans such as Senator Joe Bruno’s indictment for fraud or the Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s hush money payments, the public is supportive of reform. What I mean by reform is changes to our political system that would reduce even the possibility of corruption. The best way to do this is through publicly financed elections. Publicly financed elections would allow elected officials to focus their time on legislating and governing, as opposed to raising money. It would also reduce the possibility that a politician’s stance on an issue is tied to which stance will boost campaign donations.

member

@RedHookStar

www.facebook.com/redhookstarrevue

Avanzino & Moreno, P.C. 26 Court Street, Suite 205, Brooklyn, NY 11242

718 802-1616 jkvanzino.com

In the pursuit of justice, the attorneys of Avanzino & Moreno, P.C., meticulously prepare their cases for litigation.Clients can expect absolute trust, outstanding performance and total commitment, willingness and ability to go the distance. The firm’s bilingual attorneys have handled a variety of negligence, medical malpractice and complex litigation cases throughout New York City and upstate New York, achieving numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for their clients.Avanzino & Moreno, P.C.has also had the privilege to be trial counsel to some of the largest plaintiffs’ firms in New York.

There are varying ways to implement a publicly financed election system. There can be direct subsidies of matching funds to political parties, limited donation amounts, free or reduced advertising rates, exemption from fees like mailing and other government services amongst cost reducing policies. No matter how it is done, the unifying theme to all actions related to publicly financed elections, is the reduction of ways in which a politician can be “bought off.” I am hardly the only person who has raised publicly financed elections as a possibility for New York. In his January “State of the State” address, Governor Cuomo expressed support for it but, the Republican controlled Senate disagreed, rendering the issue dead for the time being. That could all change with Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes financing a new campaign to press the issue in coordination with Cuomo and other supportive officials. The name of the Political Action Committee (PAC) started this year is called “Protecting our Democracy.” The mission of which is to “to pass robust campaign finance reform in New York during the 2012-2013 legislative session.” One could argue that it iis hypocritical for me to cite a group with a lot of money. Chris Hughes has an estimated net worth of just under $1 billion, as a vehicle for fighting money in politics. I would argue, that at this point it is a matter of needing to fight fire with fire. Those who feel that there should be no monetary limits on political speech and see it all as “freedom” are well financed and would be impossible to beat without lots of money. Couple that with the fact that,74% of New Yorkers, according to a Sienna College poll, are supportive of campaign finance reform, and it becomes clear that it is worth trying to conduct such a - as Justice Brandeis would have called it - “experiment.”

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Through October 18, 2012

Star-Revue

News Briefs

LICH fills PS 15 backpacks

Pumpkins and pumpkins and pumpkins. Oh, my! by Kimberly Gail Price

To commemorate 9/11, the staff of Downstate Long Island College Hospital (LICH) donated 15 backpacks full of school supplies to children at PS 15. The employees purchased pens, pencils, notebooks, calculators, crayons and markers. So many supplies were donated that the backpacks were not only

filled, but several other cartons were needed for the excess. “Downstate has a strong commitment to the children of our community,” said Debra Carey, CEO of Downstate LICH. “Above all we want them to be healthy, but we also want to help them do well in school.”

ed Hook Community Farm, run by Added Value, is holding their 8th annual Red Hook Harvest Fest on Saturday, October 20 from 9 am to 5 pm at 3-49 Halleck Street. The free event will include a wide range of music from reggae to bomba, farm-to-table restaurants like The Good Fork and Last year, four Councilmembers designated $1 million in discretionary funds for their an impressive pumpkin patch with more than 12,000 pumpkins. districts; this year the process has doubled in size, incorporating a total of eight districts Red Hook Community Farm will also offer tours through the pumpkin patch from citywide. The process is known as the Participatory Budgeting Process and allows comOctober 12-31. Every year, an estimated 1,000 to 15,000 students from PS 15 and munities to submit and vote on how this money will be spent.

What will you do with $1 million?

Brooklyn New School visit the festival. This year, students of PS 15 also helped Councilmen Stephen Levin (D-33) and Brad Lander (D-39) are holding numerous plant an “education bed” with butternut squash and beans to learn about different Neighborhood Assemblies across their districts this month for residents to submit proposals for the process. cultivation methods. Proposed projects for the In 2003, Red Hook Farms was initiated to provide local residents and vendors with 2011-2012 fiscal year infresh produce. The farm is located on a 2.5 acre plot across the street from IKEA. They cluded countdown clocks for offer youth programs through Added Value. According to their website, “The vision bus shelters, renovations for and foresight of this rural farmer, [Ben Balcolm, Co-Founder], inspired us to take action the Carroll Gardens Library, and work to build a vibrant urban farm right here in the heart of Red Hook.” and a food scrap compost site Since opening the farm, Ian Marvy, Co-Founder, and Balcolm have grown 12 tons near the Gowanus Canal. of produce for sale and donations, created $120,00 in local economic activity and Multiple dates and locations generated $70,000 in revenue for youth stipends. They host service-learning and are scheduled for each locainformational sessions from Carroll Gardens to South America, lead workshops for tion. Anyone can submit 1,300 school children annually and have created volunteer opportunities for nearly proposals and volunteer to improve the neighborhoods. 4,000 people towards community improvement. For more information or how Sue Wolfe writes down ideas at a local NeighborFor more information about Added Value and their programs, visit www.addedto get involved visit www. hood Assembly meeting. value.org. pbnyc.com.

P.S. 15 hosts Fall Flea market photos by Caitlin Casaro

Saturday, October 15th saw the return of the PS 15 Flea Market presented by the PTA. This completely Red Hook event featured local crafts people selling handmade items. Pictured at the upper right selling granola are Caitlin Cassor’s husband Zach Hochkeppel with the creator of the granola, Erykah Zebe. Erykah is a PS 15 parent of two. The basket seller on the lower right is Renee Dessommens and the baskets are homemade Bolga baskets from Ghana.

Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 9

The

Blue Pencil Lunar Revue A spoof publication of the Red Hook Star-Revue, no information below is meant to be true or offensive.

s e r u ct

i P n e d

d i H

by Dingleberry Mclostit

1 - Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones

idden very

2 - Doodyhead

clev-

3 - Ally McBeal

erly in the

4 - Stephen Talkhouse

drawing to the

5 - Lemon Dog

right are some

6 - Pumpkin Head

familiar objects.

7 - Robot

You will have

8 - Turnips

to look very

9 - Catapult

closely to find

10 - Stuffed Cabbage

them. See if you

11 - Something you eat at the movies

can find all 14

12 - A painting that is in a museum

of them.

13 - An unpopular car 14 - Marshmallow Man

Blue Pencil Classifed Ads To place your own ad in our next issue, please go see a shrink because you are obviously out of your mind.

Please submit your ridiculous classifieds to editor@redhookstar.com

FOR SALE

Apts for Rent

Day-old spaghetti and meatballs. Rather than freezing it and thawing it out at next year’s Atlantic Antic, come eat your fill at our Atlantic AvANNOUNCEMENTS enue taproom. Don’t forget that you The Kentler Gallery has merged can still get a Pabst over here. with Rocky Sullivans and in the future will be featuring line draw- Red Hook social service institution ings of half empty glasses of Gui- located on West 9th Street offers ness as well as fiddles, bohdrans day-old spaghetti following their anand tin whistles. Please do not nual tasting fundraiser. Only spaexpect cheese and wine at our ghetti is left because the clientele openings, from now on Budweiser needed the ‘hotter’ foods, leaving old staples behind. and haggis.

Carroll Gardens Rejuvenating Center Bee Scotto, prop 1646 1st Place

Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue

718 532-7422

According to John McGettrick, the problem of the badly paved north portion of Van Brunt street will be solved by the Department of Transportation running bulldozers and 35 ton trucks on the south portion until the two portions match up.

www.RedHookStar.com

After trying to sell spaghetti sandwhiches and failing, famed Columbia Street sandwich shop is now giving them away til their stock in pasta is depleted. Hopefully the day-old rolls will be ok. Just go past the Commerce St. strip club and look for where Mary Anne used to live.

Van Brunt Street - 2 room flat, railroad, bathroom in the hall, exposed holes in plaster walls, bathtub in the kitchen, intermittent heat, leaks in the gas, $2450, three month security. Carbetbag Realty, 639-3334101, Mr. Blabgas. Pioneer Street - 5 room condo, 1 week sublet, spectacular views of Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Crab, art deco bathroom and guestroom, available December 3 - 10, $18,450. 718 222-3344, Mr. Makakilling Coffey Street sublet, cardboard shack with iPad and boombox, available January when it’s too cold for me, $13, look for Tucker at gallery openings and fundraising events.

Through October 18, 2012

Your ad could be right here! Find out how by calling

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

The

Red Hook StarªRevue Member

The

Answer to previous puzzle 1

R A Y

A S

S 39 P

62 67

I R

S 70

16 20 25

R O D

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Star-Revue Puzzler #17 by George Fiala Across

1. Part of Van Brunt St bar name 5. Tennis great Arthur 9. Tolerate 14. Try again 15. Can be a baby one 16. Type of candle 17. Sooner or later 18. Type of cabbage 19. Grassy surface 20. More evil 22. Piece of the small intestine 24. Rescue workers (abbr) 25. Uses too many drugs 26. Thus 28. Simply ____ (British band) 30. Onetime Met, Otis 31. _____ A Wonderful Life 32. Goes in a horse’s mouth 35. Overnight flight 38. Top notch 39. Copy 40. Ph below 7 41. Novy ____, Russian magazine 42. Formerly 43. Married woman 44. Schiele, Austrian painter 46. Male psuedonmy, variant 48. Infectious secretion 49. ____ we not men? 50. Corn holders 51. Retirement plan 52. Kind of Indian bread. 53. Cobb and Herndon 56. Babylon 5 people 59. Sketched 61. Aspiration 63. Ancient Greek town 65. Orbison song (with Dooby) 67. Palindrome name 68. Order another year 69. The vowels after ‘a’ 70. Expressions of contempt 71. Group of officers 72. “Rubberband Knots” rapper 73. John ______, smooth musician

DOWN 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Red Hook Star-Revue

Red Hook StarªRevue crossword

Cable network Virgil’s poem False gods Sunny’s wife Popular .com site

14 17

19 22

373837

42 46

54 61 66

62 67

6. Buck in Scotland 7. With Kitty, a Japanese icon 8. Sword 9. ____ Nova, Middle Ages musical style. 10. Kowtowed, with down 11. Islamic leader 12. Kind of Dodge 13. Make ____ meet 21. Cognac 23. Goes with Sciences 27. Fish eggs 29. NY’s time 30. Portable defibrillator 31. Ending for court of bombard 32. Upstate college 33. _____ Facto 34. Head to Yves 35. Alternative to stairs 36. Nylon color 37. Insult (slang)

www.RedHookStar.com

68 71

13 15

12`

51 58

30 35

70 72

38. Place to keep compost 41. A Stooge 42. Acute out-patient care (abbr) 44. Corn unit 45. One who receives a diploma 46. Scribble 47. Footnote word 50. Roy Rogers for one 51. “Welcome to the ______ Sanctum” 52. Grease again 53. Stressed 54. Bronx team 55. Shatter 56. Undercover drug cop 57. Not docked 58. Watermelon skin 60. The eggs of different fish 62. 1980s LA band 64. Female sheep 66. Positive response, slangily

Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 11

Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through October 18, 2012

Dance Theater Etc. creates innovative performances on the Greenway by Alexandra Gillis

aturday October 6th, Dance Theater Etc. presented Dance on the Greenway at the Red Hook IKEA Erie Basin Park. The performance featured five dances by six choreographers, including three Red Hook choreographers. Shannon Hummel of Cora Dance presented “Bench,” which is one of six from a series called Common Dances. “Bench” thus far has been an experimental dance piece that brings dance to spaces that normally don’t have live

Shannon Hummel speaking at a Cora Dance fund raiser atop Rocky Sullivan’s earlier this year

performance. The dance presents itself so that if someone is outside near the Red Hook Houses, he or she might see two people interacting with each other in the courtyard, unsure of what is going on initially. Bluegrass music starts to play through a portable sound system - a style of music less common for outdoor dancing - and all of a sudden people start flooding out of their apartments to see what is happening. The two dancers perform a six minute piece, a mix of

Hummel says that the performances have begun to catch on in the Red Hook community. So far hundreds of people have come out to watch. Common Dances currently includes “Bench,” “Door,” and “Car,” which complete the three dances in the series that so far have their choreography ready. “Swing” is a larger performance piece that will start making its way to the streets of Red Hook when the weather warms up. Each dance has the same set of dancers who perform it each time. “Bench” is a duet performed by Solomon Goodwin and Sarah Burke. With a growing audience for these performances, there has been a growing interest in Cora Dance. Hummel explains that over the course of the last four years of Cora Dance offering classes, enrollment is usually pretty good. However, this year they have waiting lists for half of their classes. “I think this is because we are more visible,” she says. Common Dances is making its way to other parts of the US through dance workshops and classes, including performances in West Virginia beginning in March of 2012. Even with the growing popularity and demand of Cora Dance, Hummel explains that the important thing is “everything begins and ends in Red Hook.” “Bench” seems to be right at home in Erie Basin Park. Hummel said that when choosing from the space available on the waterfront she wanted to find the most utilitarian view possible. For this performance the duet was performed near the water taxi landing. Hummel said “I’m enjoying that I’m choosing a spot that might be overlooked.” Goodwin, from “Bench,” will be choreographing his own piece for Royal Empire. He grew up in Red Hook where he

The performers of “Bench” rehearsing at IKEA Erie Basin park for the October 6th performance.

also began his journey towards choreography and dance. At the age of thirteen he joined Falconworks Artist Group, via the Red Hook Community Justice Center, where he first pursued acting. While with Falconworks he wrote a play that incorporated dance and football. There, Goodwin danced in his own play, discovering a new passion.

and theater. Her dancers range in age from 8 to 12 and have all been learning from her at the Miccio Center, where she has been teaching since 2006. In the classes, students work with her until they are 12 when they move on to the teen group. Eaddy says that she has been working with the group performing this show for two years.

At Dance on the Greenway, Goodwin brought a Hip-Hop and Reggae dance theme with an “America’s Next Top Model kind of thing.” Earlier, he explained that his dancers will walk and strut along the dance floor in long runway type of movements. When asked how this works with the style of his dancers, he says “most of my girls like to be sassy.”

Picture Perfect will be performing “Animal Life.” The piece is part theater and part dance. The dance combines modern and hip-hop styles where each of the performers will play a different animal. In the story, there are three monkeys, three lions and one snake. The snake is killed by the other animals but then comes back to life. Each animal has its own role and style of dance.

Michelle Eaddy is another Red Hook native who will be choreographing the show for her group Picture Perfect. Picture Perfect is a junior group that will be performing a combination of dance

Dance on the Greenway was produced by Dance Theater Etcetera in conjunction with openhousenewyork. For more information visit www.dtetc.org or email kamau@dtetc.org

Red Hook’s roots run deep

stroll down Van Brunt Street in search of pieces of my childhood that are familiar. And although it’s been many years since I have lived here, I find myself quite often trying to recapture memories of the best years of my life. Over the years the area has changed so much. The gentrification leaves me longing for old houses and the building ornaments and facades that were so much a part of Red Hook’s history. I come upon 373 Van Brunt Street. I meet with a familiar face of an old friend named Francis. Francis sits outside his home and listens to the scores of the baseball games on his old transistor radio, as he has done for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I flashback to when I would ride by him on my old banana bike yelling out “Hey Francis, What’s the score?” Francis cannot recall me by face. He has been legally blind for all of the years I have known him. But he knows

Red Hook Star-Revue

hip-hop, modern, and classical dance.

by Mary Ann Massaro

me when I tell him who I am. He always shares with me his fond memories of knowing my mom and dad and how much he misses having them for neighbors. I take in all the sights of Francis’

“He always shares with me his fond memories of knowing my mom and dad and how much he misses having them for neighbors.” home in its original state. My eyes fixate on the old storefront on the ground floor which has never been redone. In the window sits an old photograph of his grandfather. Francis beams with pride as he tells me how his grandfather, Frank Tihocki came over from Poland in the early 1900’s. He settled in Red Hook and worked as a blacksmith for Todd Shipyards all of his adult life. He pur-

chased this house in 1924. He lived in the house with his wife and three daughters until he passed away. One of his daughters was Francis’s mother, and the home has been in the family ever since. I sat with Francis on this hot day of the summer’s end for as long as I could until the heat became overwhelming. I said goodbye to Francis and thanked him for sharing his past with me. Francis bid me goodbye. As I was walking away, Frank Tihocki came to Red Hook from Poland about a I could see Francis turncentury ago. His picture still sits in the window of his ing up the volume on the home at 373 Van Brunt Street, where his grandchild still radio. I could hear the lives today (photo by Massaro) sounds of the game being played. For a moment I just stood nected to a small piece of not only my there, almost like I was frozen in my past but of Red Hook’s past. If Red steps or frozen in time. And with tears Hook is a treasure chest, on this day I welling up in my eyes, I felt so con- just found a diamond!

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Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 13

Continuing Feature:

Mollie Dash Interviews: My artist interview this month is with Manny Flaherty. He’s a woodworker who has a studio here in Red Hook on Ferris Street. Star-Revue: You told me that you grew up in the Bronx? Manny: Yes, in Riverdale, which is just north of the northern tip of Manhattan. SR: You worked for your dad early on? MF: Yes, my dad is a contractor. He does flooring mainly, but he also does residential renovations. Early on my summer jobs were working for him in the city. And he would work all over the five boroughs, so that was my introduction to “everywhere” in New York. SR: Was it a natural progression to be a furniture designer? MF: I was definitely introduced to working with my hands. I was always drawn to physical labor. Although I enjoyed school, I had trouble sitting down for that long a time at once. So I was more into moving around, and not very good at being idle. I like that kind of work as opposed to an office job. I was physically using my hands - a lot of times it was just manual labor. But then when I got into carpentry, I started getting more skilled. SR: Did you pick up using tools from watching your dad? MF: I just grew up around it. I don’t remember being taught, but I remember being around it. SR: And you ended up going to RISD? [Rhode Island School of Design] MF: In high school I wasn’t all that excited or enthusiastic about the college process of applying and everything. I think I had already gotten into Bard College, early. So I was just going to apathetically go to Bard, which is where my parents met. There was some connection, but I didn’t have any love for the school or anything. I was just going through the motions. And my art teacher, who I got along with very well, who I was very close with in high school, asked if had I applied to art schools. At that point I didn’t even know there were art schools. I told her “no,” and she said, “how come?” I said, “I didn’t even know there were any” and asked her to name one. “What should I do?” I asked. And she told me she would get me an application. And I had never heard of RISD or anything. And so we got the application and we had like two weeks until the deadline. There was some weird number of slides that you had to have, like a minimum of thirteen. And I only had ten or so things that I had made that hadn’t gotten trashed. She told me that I had to make three more things, just for slides. She gave me three assignments, basically to do that week, because I had never made anything that she didn’t assign me.

Page 14 Red Hook Star-Revue

And we got that application in just in time. SR: What kinds of things were in your portfolio? MF: It was a sculpture class. And then I did some drawing, because she thought it would be good to have a variety of things. I always liked to doodle and I was kind of good at drawing, but I had never actually done it before for art courses. RISD was where I got more exposed to a whole community of people who were into not just art class on the side, but it was a priority for them. I majored in industrial design, because at the time sculpture just seemed too flaky for me. There was a furniture department, but it seemed too specific because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. And industrial design seemed to offer a good, broad range of getting to do a little bit of everything. So that’s what I went into, and eventually focused on woodworking, which led to furniture. SR: When I was at VCU I took a furniture design class and the T.A. had done his undergraduate in furniture at RISD. And he was very much into furniture, very passionate about it. He gave me the impression that it’s a big thing at RISD. MF: The furniture department used to be a subcategory of the industrial design department. When I got there, I guess it was the fall of ‘98. And you had to choose your major freshman year, like halfway through the year, which I thought was ridiculously too early to choose. At that point the furniture department was only like ten years old. But it had always been a subcategory of industrial design. I guess there was enough interest and focus and enough people who were specifically interested in it that it grew into its own major. I ended up taking some courses in the furniture department because you did need to take some electives outside of your major. I had a teacher, Seth Stem, who was one of the woodworking guys in industrial design. He was certainly my first introduction to woodworking on a more professional level. SR: You had said something about when you took furniture design there wasn’t so much emphasis on the technical aspects of it. MF: The furniture department had a good introduction to the materials they use there. I don’t know if it was specifically about the furniture department, but more in general I felt like at RISD they were wanting to get more out of me in terms of the design or concept. I felt like I

Manny Flaherty at his Ferris Street studio

couldn’t really start designing until I knew how to work with the material. Like how can I be in a wood class and design a table if I don’t really understand how a table goes together? And people would start designing before they knew how to build. That was backwards to me, even though it apparently works for a lot of people. So I got pushback from that in terms of my designs, which were very basic. I just designed within one table. I wanted it to have tapered legs, a veneered top with a frame around it, a drawer and a shelf. I was just trying to think of how much I could get out of one table in terms of learning woodworking because that’s what my interest was. SR: It’s kind of like you came up with your own assignment. MF: Yeah, there was some joinery - some hand-cut joinery, some mortise and tenons. I essentially came up with a ten-lesson-in-one project table design. So when you look at the table it just looks like a basic, very boring Shaker-style table. But that’s how I learned how to do all those things. But I remember in the critique, people wanted to see what kind of table Manny would make. They wanted to see more Manny in the table. And I was like “Manny didn’t know how to make a table until now. The next table, maybe there will be more Manny in it.” But I was just interested in how to do this stuff. Arguably, a vocational school was what I was hungry for. SR: What kinds of things did they have you making and designing in industrial design? MF: We had this introduction to the materials. It was like a Wood I course, a Metals I course. There was a model-making class where we learned to used foam and plastic. And then a lot of it was designing - you know, there was a drawing class. And then a lot of it turned into these very conceptual designs that we weren’t building. So there was a lot of learning how to put on a presentation. Or there was a whole section in knowing how to market yourself and brand yourself, which I had no interest in. I thought that was all a waste of my time. And then we

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learned that a lot of industrial design jobs are kind of like desk jobs. You might be told, “we’re designing a new toothbrush holder. Give me ten designs by this afternoon.” And they do that and that’s their day and at the end of the day maybe they choose one or two, and maybe that one or two goes into production. Learning how that worked, and I didn’t go to art school to - I didn’t want a desk job. I wanted to be building this stuff. And so I learned more about what I didn’t want to do at RISD than what I did. But it was important. I feel like I have a lot of friends who went into a career and then five years into it they realize it wasn’t what they wanted to do. But then all of a sudden they’re climbing this ladder and jobs are scarce and maybe they have car payments or whatever. They’re not going to risk throwing it away. For me I kind of got all of that out of the way in the beginning. SR: It’s great that you had the sense to know that in school. MF: It made for a really tough and sometimes miserable college life, because I was just frustrated and doing all this stuff I didn’t want to do. And I thought it was all a waste. At the time it seemed like a waste, but in retrospect it was good to get that all out of the way. An expensive waste, but.. And then in my senior year I took off to go build boats in Port Townsend, Washington. It was the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding - kind of like a vocational school. It was a ten-month program. At that point I was just interested in working with wood. And it was all traditional boat building - it wasn’t fiberglass or anything. It was all caulking seams - you know a wood plank boat - they caulk the seams with oakum, a cotton material soaked in resin or something. And then you put the boat in the water and the boards expand and it creates this water-tight seal. That was a way of learning hand-cut joinery and it was a lot of fun. And then I also dabbled in making some instruments. I just wanted to work with wood. But I ended up landing (continued on next page)

Through October 18, 2012

Mollie Dash

(continued from previous page) on furniture. It seemed to be a more practical way to make a living. SR: There’s a guy on Atlantic Avenue who makes hand made guitars - he has a storefront. MF: My grandfather in Puerto Rico - he knew someone who made the Puerto Rican - style guitar called a cuatro. I went there to learn how to make them, for like a month. I worked on a bunch of different instruments, but he took me through every step on one instrument. I got to keep that one. It just seemed like the kind of thing - if I wanted to really do this, I’d have to do this for ten years before I would be satisfied. That kind of art form is so meticulous. You can’t be like “oh, I make guitars on the side.” They’re not going to be that good. You’ve got to really know what you’re doing. So I figured, I don’t want to do some really big apprenticeship. I want to go onto the next thing. But it was a really good experience. And every day I use stuff that I learned from the boat building and from the instrument making. I use those skills every day in furniture making. Whether or not I touch another instrument or boat, I learned a lot from those places. SR: So when you finished with the year in boat making, what did you do? MF: I went back to RISD to finish up. And that was kind of frustrating because I was going to try to transfer to the furniture department, but it would have meant having to take another whole year of school. And I was more interested in just getting out of school. So that was a little more of me sucking it up and just doing some things that I didn’t want to do. I had an apartment that was kind of big, so I had a little work bench. I was able to work on some small projects for friends - little pieces of furniture and stuff. SR: And then after you finished RISD, you came to New York. MF: Yes, some friends from RISD, who had come to New York a year earlier than I did, had started a company called Uhuru Design. I got back in touch with them. They were in Red Hook and I was living in Prospect Heights. They were at a point where they needed to hire someone. But they kind of couldn’t afford to hire someone. Sort of the dilemma I’m in right now, where if I had an extra person to help me I could take on more work. And then that would allow me to hire... I could afford to have that person. And then they got a big job and one of the two guys left for a little while. So I kind of filled in his spot. And then I stuck with them for like four or five years until I started my own thing. SR: What kinds of things did you do at Uhuru? MF: It worked out great because it was just three of us. When you’re in a business, especially when you’re making things, there are kind of three jobs: there’s running the business, there’s sales, and then there’s making the thing. And I was just the guy in the shop. I was making everything. When I needed a hand, Bill or

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Jason would come down. And I was doing the woodworking. We had a metal shop, but I don’t do much metal stuff. And Bill was more business oriented. Jason was more of a salesman. And then everyone would pitch in when we had a lot of work to do. But I was making things in the shop the whole time, and organizing the shop. And then as we started hiring people, I was managing the shop, which I loved. I thought it was a great job, but I just felt like I had plateaud in terms of learning. I felt like a big fish in a small pond. Like alright, this is a good job, I’m sort of in charge here, and it feels good. I tell people what to do and there are some jobs that are very specific that only I know how to do, and I teach people how to do other things. I mean I liked it, but I wasn’t challenging myself. So I felt I outgrew it. And the company was going in a direction that was different than a direction I saw myself wanting to be in, in five, ten years. And so I decided to start my own thing. SR: And what was that, what kind of direction?

to get bigger and bigger, so we had to do them in the most efficient way possible. But the designs were very time-consuming, and it was hard to do them quickly. Part of them being such one-off pieces and what made them special was that a lot of work went into each one. And the second you start to produce them quickly, you lose that special quality. And so the way I’m trying to design, I’m trying to make it more, not production in the sense that I want to make hundreds of them, but they’re pretty simple and minimal in terms of how many pieces are involved. If you look at them, some of them are just four pieces of wood put together. And I use some of the same legs in different designs. So then I just have a couple of jigs that make the legs, and they are interchangeable with other designs. And I’m trying to get the systems down that are efficient. It also creates a cohesive line of furniture. Sometimes people have all these ideas, and then you look at their website and it’s all these beautiful pieces, but it’s all over the place. There’s no fluidity. It just looks like

“When you’re in a business, especially when you’re making things, there are kind of three jobs: there’s running the business, there’s sales, and then there’s making the thing.” MF: They started growing and getting bigger and it became a matter of whether they wanted to be a production shop, or focus on the craft and make one piece at a time. I was more into keeping it smaller and efficient, and also trying to keep the prices low. Because when you start hiring people and getting more space, then all of a sudden your overhead is bigger and you have to start charging a lot more. And I felt like we could use our space more efficiently and the people more efficiently. And there would still be the same amount of people building the same amount of stuff, but we could keep it more affordable and accessible. And that’s kind of what I want to do. I would never not sell a piece of furniture to someone, but most of our clients were these really filthy rich people. They were very nice, and I have nothing against them. But it just seemed like it was a big divide in terms of who I am and where I was coming from, and the furniture I was making and where it was gonna stay. And I wanted more of my demographic to be able to use my furniture.

ten different designers made ten different things. So I’m trying to have something that looks a little more cohesive. SR: That makes sense. If you make furniture, you would want to make things that go well together in a room. MF: If you were going to take a picture of a sofa that you made, why wouldn’t you take that picture with an end table that you made also that goes really well with it? I’m trying to sell a lifestyle aesthetic, as opposed to just a coffee table. You know, a room full of stuff that serves the same character. SR: Do you want to talk about how you built your workshop up when you left Uhuru? MF: My dad gets a lot of work during the summer because he does flooring for the school - in public schools in New York. And that work always tends to turn into residual work in the fall. In that work, I tend to be able

to control my own hours. So I was able to load up my summer in 2009 doing a lot of work and trying to take overtime, and on weekends we get paid a little more too. So I was just loading up those hours and controlling my schedule so I could be ready to start buying tools in the fall. I had a lot of hand tools, but no machines at that point, and no space. That fall I was able to acquire a small space, where I am now, although I have since expanded. Anyway I still didn’t have any machines, but I was able to work it out to where I could schedule my hours in terms of covering all of my bills and expenses and then, “oh, I need a table saw. And that means x amount more hours till you get the table saw.” Which turned into doing a bunch of long weeks, but every month I’d sort of add a new machine to the shop. I think it’s three years I’ve been here and I’m pretty well set up. There are always more things you can use, but I’m set up enough to make the things that I want to make. SR: That’s such a sensible way of building a business. MF: I didn’t want to rush. That was something I ran into working for Uhuru and in some other places where I’ve helped out. There’s a tendency to be “oh, we have a lot of work - we need more space, or we need to hire another person.” Whereas it’s just like no, let’s slow it down and maybe we shouldn’t take that job if that job is going to force us to take on more people. And that’s hard to do when you’re struggling, to say no to taking on more work. Especially for a little while where I had this fallback of my dad’s work. And now and then he’ll give me a call if he needs help over the weekend or something. And so I have a little bit of backup work. But I had a lot of it in the beginning, so I was able to say no to stuff and not take jobs that were going to run me into the ground. Because then you start compromising the quality of your work and I’m trying to avoid that and take it slow. I had the space for a little while but it was kind of sparse. I started the company, Mi Mesita, in the spring of 2010. So I’ve been at it for two and a half years. References: Mi Mesita Design: www.mimesita.com Shaker furniture: http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Shaker_furniture Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding: www.nwboatschool.org George Nakashima: www.nakashimawoodworker.com

This concludes Part One of the interview with Manny Flaherty. Part Two will appear in the next issue of the Red Hook Star-Revue

SR: It’s such a tricky thing, especially in New York with the high overhead. You’re always up against that - wanting to reach the clientele that you can identify with - but do those people in your demographic have the money to spend on a fine piece of furniture? MF: And also what goes into it is your designs. A lot of the designs that we had over there were really good, but they weren’t designed around production. Except we were in this position where we were trying

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Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 15

Star-Revue

Guide to area restaurants

Carroll Gardens/ Red Hook BAKED 359 Van Brunt St., (718)222-0345. THE BROOKLYN ICE HOUSE 318 Van Cobble Hill Brunt St., (718) 222-1865. Botanica 220 Conover St (at Coffey St), (347) 225-0147. DEFONTE’S SANDWICH SHOP 379 Columbia St., (718) 855-6982. DIEGO’S RESTAURANT 116 Sullivan St., (718) 625-1616. F&M BAGELS 383 Van Brunt St., (718) 855-2623. FORT DEFIANCE 365 Van Brunt St., (347) 453-6672. THE GOOD FORK 391 Van Brunt St., (718) 643-6636. HOME/MADE 293 Van Brunt St., (347) 223-4135. HOPE & ANCHOR 347 Van Brunt St., (718) 237-0276. IKEA One Beard St., (718) 246-4532. John & Franks, 367 Columbia Street, (718) 797-4467 KEVIN’S 277 Van Brunt St., (718) 5968335. MARK’S PIZZA 326 Van Brunt St., (718) 624-0690. New Lin’s Garden Restaurant 590 Clinton Street, (718) 399-1166 RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND 284 Van Brunt St., (646) 326-7650. ROCKY SULLIVAN’S 34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie, 204 Van Dyke St, (718) 852-6018 Sunny’s Bar in Red HOok, 253 Conover Street, (718) 625-8211

Columbia Waterfront District

ALMA 187 Columbia St., (718) 643-5400. Bagel Boy Cafe 75 Hamilton Avenext to Chase, (718) 855-0500. CALEXICO CARNE ASADA 122 Union St., (718) 488-8226. Casa Di Campagna 117 Columbia Street (718) 237-4300. CASELNOVA 214 Columbia St., (718) 522-7500. FERNANDO’S FOCACCERIA RESTAURANT 151 Union St., (718)855-1545. HOUSE OF PIZZA & CALZONES 132 Union St., (718) 624-9107. JAKE’S BAR-B-QUE RESTAURANT 189 Columbia St., (718) 522-4531. KOTOBUKI BISTRO 192 Columbia St., (718) 246-7980. LILLA CAFE 126 Union St., (718) 8555700. MAZZAT 208 Columbia St., (718) 8521652. PETITE CREVETTE 144 Union St., (718) 855-2632. TEEDA THAI CUISINE 218 Columbia St., (718) 643-2737.

Abilene, 442 Court Street, 718-5226900, Angry Wades, 222 Smith Street, (718) 488-7253 Bacchus, 409 Atlantic, (718) 852-1572 Bar Bruno, 520 Henry St., 347-7630850, Bagels by the park, 323 Smith Street, (718) 246-1321 Bar great harry, 280 Smith Street (718) 222-1103 Bombay Dream, 257 Smith Street (718) 237-6490 Bourgeois Pig, 387 Court Street, (718) 858-5483 Brooklyn Bread Cafe, 436 Court Street (718) 403-0234 Buddy’s Burrito & Taco Bar, 260 Court Street, 718-488-8695, Buttermilk channel, 524 Court Street (718) 852-8490 Casa Rosa, 384 Court Street, 718-7971907 Chestnut, 271 Smith St., (718) 2430049 cobble grill, 212 Degraw Street, (718) 422-0099 Cobble Hill Coffee Shop, 314 Court Street, (718) 852-1162 Cody’s Ale House Grill, 154 Court Street, 718-852,6115 Court Street Grocers, 485 Court Street, (718) 722-7229 Crave, 570 Henry Street, (718) 643-0361 Cubana Cafe, 272 Smith Street (718) 718-858-3980 Downtown Bar & Grill, 160 Court street, 718-625-2835 Dubuque, 548 Court Street, (718) 5963248 Em Thai Kitchen, 278 Smith Street, (718) 834-0511 Enotica on Court, 347 Court Street, (718) 243-1000 F Line Bagels, 476 Smith Street (718) 422-0001 Five Guys, 266 Court St., 347-799-2902 Fragole, 394 Court Street, (718) 6227133 Francesco’s Restaurant, 531 Henry Street, (718) 834-0863 Frank’s Luncheonette, 365 Smith Street, (718) 875-5449 Ghang, 229 Court Street, 718-875-1369 Gowanus Yacht Club, 323 Smith Street, (718) 246-132,Closed til spring Hana cafe, 235 Smith Street, (718) 643-1963 Le Petite Cafe, 502 Court street, 718596-7060 Ling Ling Young, 508 Henry Street, (718) 260-9095 Marco Polo Ristorante, 345 Court Street, 718 852-5015 Mama Maria’s Restaurant, 307 Court Street, (718) 246-2601

Mezcals Restaurant, 522 Court Street, 718-783-3276 Natures Grill, 138 Court street, 718852,5100, Nine-D, 462 Court Street, 718-488-8998, Oaxaca Tacos, 251 Smith Street (718) 222-1122 Osaca Restaurant, 272 Court Street (718) 643-0055 P J Hanleys, 449 Court St, 718- 843-8223 Palo Cortado, 520 Court St, 718407-0047 Prime Meats, 465 Court Street, 718254-0327 or 0345, Palmyra, 316 Court street, 718-7971110 Red Rose Restaurant, 315 Smith Street, (718) 625-0963 Sals Pizza, 305 Court Street, (718) 852-6890 Sam’s Restaurant, 238 Court Street, 718-596-3458 SOul Spot 302 Atlantic Ave 718 5969933 Savoia, 277 Smith Street, 718-797-2727 Seersucker Restaurant, 329 Smith Street, (718) 422-0444

Smith & Vine, 268 Smith Street (718) 243-2864 South Brooklyn Pizza, 451 Court Street, 718 852-6018 Stinky Brooklyn, 261 Smith Street, 718 522-7425 Sweet Melissa, 276 Court Street, (718) 855-3410 Tripoli, 156 Atlantic Ave, 718 596-5800 Vinny’s of Carroll Gardens, 295 Smith Street, 718 875-5600 Vinny’s Pizzeria, 455 Court Street, 718 596-9342 Vino y Tapas, 520 Court Street, 718407-0047 Vinzee’s, 412 Court Street, 718 855 1401 Zaytoons, 283 Smith Street, 718 875-1880

Gowanus

Michael and Pings, 437 Third Avenue, (718) 788-0017 Cotta Bene Pizza, 291 3rd Ave, 718 722-7200 Littlenecks, 288 3rd Ave., (718) 522-1921 Canal Bar, 270 3rd Ave, (718) 2460011

Hours: Noon to 10:30 pm Tues.to Thurs.Noon to 11pm Friday.4pm to 11pm Saturday & 4pm to 10:30pm Sunday.

Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through October 18, 2012

Music: T

his was not my first visit to Jalopy Theater. I had attended a Roots and Ruckus session hosted by Feral Foster a couple of months ago. I had already been introduced to the bearded guys wearing dungarees and drinking India Pale Ales from mason jars. A scene that I thought at the time was more familiar with the Appalachian communities of Tennessee or West Virginia and not New York’s docklands and waterfront. But, hey, that’s what I love about New York! I might encounter anything in this city. Upon entering the Jalopy Theater on this occasion, I met Travis Stewart, a Cleveland native and one of the founders of the Paper Swan Collective. He told me that they started out as just five guys and gals playing music in their Bushwick loft. It grew from there. They started hosting shows regularly and then

Paper Swan delights Jalopy Theater by Brian Clancy

He had warned us it could get funky. It did, and it was brilliant. “I have to play with my eyes closed so every time I finish a song and open my eyes, you have grown exponentially,” he told the audience. He finished with a celebratory ballad called “The Littlest Doyle” written for a friend and collaborator on the birth of his daughter. A fitting end to an excellent set. Matt Marble took to the stage with a collaborator from his band “Shark Sleep.” While they tuned up their instruments, it was impossible to tell who Matt Marble was. All became clear when they started to play. Matt had recruited his bandmate, Jim Altieri, to accompany him on accordion and violin. “Zuccotti Park (In the Dark)” is a great track with Marble’s voice resonating around the theatre and Altieri’s violin moaning like a ungreased park swing warning us that that they’re gonna bring the dark. Marble has a powerful voice that pierces the night air and coupled with eerie tones of his guitar. Altieri’s violin seemed to lend itself to some nightmarish other worldly sound that evoked chills throughout the set. Or maybe it was that bust of Johan Sebastian Bach who eerily stared at me no matter where I sat in the audience.

Wes Anderson

Jim Altieri with his fiddle

gradually began playing venues like Jalopy. It’s a place they love to play. “We love performing at the Jalopy Theater. There’s just such a vibe when you walk through the doors here. You can feel the passion here. You can see it all round you, the instruments for repair, the school, the stage…it’s the vision of Jeff and Lynette, and it’s just awesome. They’re just really good people.” Paper Swan is a collective of artists and musicians who support each other through live events and posting their performances on the web through their website, paperswan.com. Effectively they are their own audience, which is not to negate what they do. They are dedicated skilled musicians and artists. These are people who take their craft seriously. They had four acts on the bill. This made for a diverse experience. Andrew Finn McGill seemed uneasy and shy at first when speaking to the audience but once he took up the violin - or fiddle, as he called it - he was on another plane. He spoke about growing up on traditional Irish music before playing some wonderful ballads and jigs. For me, it was welcome reminder of my homeland. His rendition of the jazzy “Have you met Ms. Jones” was the weakest of his set, but being experimental this could be forgiven. It didn’t quite work. He quickly regained his form playing a pop number, which turned to him rapping with the violin.

Red Hook Star-Revue

The Trevor Wilson Vocal Ensemble could easily be the subject of a Wes Anderson movie. It’s difficult to categorize them as they sounded like an experimental indie project sung by technically classically trained singers. The quirky quintet of singers with complementing voices both harmonized beautifully, simultaneously creating dissonance, signifying chaos and disorder in their world. The lyrics were like poetry set to music, the musings of youth looking on the world with childlike innocence. My favorite, “Magic Donkey”, had an ambiguous vibe to it with the ensemble sounding like kids playing in a toy room, but with a dissonance in the tempo and harmony conveying a dark meaning, possibly the loss of innocence. The ensemble switched lead vocal duties with the same frequency the instruments changed hands during their set.

Jim Altieri also accompanied singer Matt Marble on accordion

The final band to take to the stage was Free Advice, an original folk bluegrass trio. Travis Stewart played banjo and shared vocals with Bailey Rayne, while

Andrew Finn McGill Matt Marble The Trevor Wilson Vocal Ensemble Free Advice Jalopy Theater, 315 Columbia Street September 27th, 2012 Paper Swan returns to Jalopy on October 25th.

The Trevor Wilson Vocal Ensemble, well trained quirky musicians

Ben Engel played snare drum and mandolin. These guys played with a passion as if their life depended on it. They had a crisp, clear sound and flow that was both urgent and laconic. Their musicianship was impeccable. Their songs were infectious. It has been a long time since I got so excited by a band. But this is a group I want to see again and again. Between songs, Travis and Ben built an easy relationship with the audience, bantering with each other from everything from the house’s bill of fare to the fact that the barman had briefly abandoned his post and the bar could

be relieved of some of its liquid stock. They were always quick to get back to the order of business and kept great tune after tune coming at their attentive audience. I particularly liked their track “Maine,” a lament about the longing for a place, no more acutely felt with the echoing plea to be buried there. After his set I spoke again to Travis Stewart who was clearly happy how the night went. “I think Red Hook is like what Bushwick could become. There is a community of artists down here and it is so vibrant. That’s what the Jalopy Theater has done for Red Hook.”

Free Advise played original folk bluegrass.

Paper Swan is a Brooklyn-based production collective whose mission is to build a community of artists through events, provide a forum for ideas, help friends network, and create web and video content. Photos and videos from the night reviewed above can be seen at their website, www.paperswan.com.

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Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 17

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

CHILDREN

Bethel Baptist Day Care Center 242 Hoyt St. (718) 834-9292 ACD funded Early Childhood Education Programs, Family Services, and Day Care Services for the Gowanus Community. Kentler International Drawing Space—353 Van Brunt St. (718) 8752098, kentlergallery.org FREE Weekend Art Workshops for Families. Ages 4 & up. Every 1st & 3rd Sat. Noon-1:30pm register in advance: sallie@kentlergallery.org Who’s On First? 46 1st Place, Clinton/ Henry (718) 243-1432 whosonfirstkids. com A nurturing and supportive environment focusing on self esteem, problem solving, socialization, conflict resolution and free expression through art, music and creative movement. For children “from birth to 7 yrs.

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

CLASSES/ WORKSHOPS

Brooklyn Collective Gallery 212 Columbia St. (Union/Sackett) (718) 5966231 brooklyncollective.com. Gallery Hours: Thur.- Sun. 11am-8pm, Over 40 Artists on Exhibit through October. Brooklyn General—128 Union St. (718) 237-7753 brooklyngeneral.com Classes and Workshops for all things Sewing. Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center 540 President St., 3rd/4th Ave. (347) 4220337 ger-nis.com Sat. 10/6 Noon-3pm. Rejuvenating Ramen $65, 5:30-8:30pm Oktoberfest, Schnitzel & Beer, $65. Mon 10/8 6:30-8:30pm The Fall Herbal Kitchen $50. Wed. 10/10 6:30-9:30pm Satay: Skewered Meat w/Heat $65. Fri.10/12 6:30-9:30pm The Pasta Sheet, Lasagna & Ravioli $65. Sat. 10/13 3-5:30pm Make Your Own Take-out: Dim Sum & Beer $65. Sun. 10/14 1-5pm Sustainable Meats w/Fleisher’s Whole Pig Butchering $200. Mon 10/15 6:30-8:30pm Healthy Families Eating Locally Cooking Series Benefitting Just Food $65. The Intercourse 159 Pioneer St. (718) 596-3000 theintercourse.org Wed. 10/3, 10/10 7-9pm From Tesla to the Transistor: An Intro to Electronic Circuits $75 + $30 materials fee. Sat. 10/27 11am-1pm Kimchee 101 $40. Sun. 10/28 Noon3pm Variety Meats: Cooking the Odd Cuts $75. Jalopy Theatre and School of Music 315 Columbia St. (718) 395-3214, jalopy. biz Mon 10/1 7-8pm Singing Workshop w/Moira Smiley & Voco $20. 8pm Moira Smiley & Voco $10. Both $25.Sun 10/7 1pm Country Harmony I w/Val Mindel $25, 2pm Matt Flinner Mandolin Wrkshop $50, 3pm Country Harmony II w/ Val Mindel $25. Red Hook Boaters info@redhookboaters.org. Summer Kayaking Program. Every Sun. 9/2-11/1 1-6pm @ Valentino Pier/Park Everything you need will be provided. Dress To Get Wet! FREE!

COMEDY

Littlefield—622 Degraw St littlefieldny. com Every Monday 8pm: Hot Tub $5 adv. $8 dos.Tues. 10/2 7:30pm Punderdome 3000 $6 adv. $8 dos. Thu 10/4 8pm Americana Pie 3: The Hollows, The Future Laureates, Morgan O’kane, Spuyten Duyvil $10. Fri. 10/5 7:30pm Americana Pie 3: The Gay Ole Opry $10.Sat. 10/6

Page 18 Red Hook Star-Revue

Americana Pie 3 w/Andi Rae Healy & The Back River Bullies, Bucky Hayes, Chris Moore $10. Sun. 10/7 Americana Pie 3 w/Paleface, Nightmare River Band, Jarrod Dickenson, Jack Grace $10. Mon 10/8 7:30pm Time Out Live w/Matthew Love $5 adv. $8dos. Tue 10/9 7pm The Big Quiz Thing $8 adv. $10 dos. Wed 10/10 7pm Martha Wainwright $25. Thu. 10/11 8pm RAW: Provocations $10 adv. $15 dos. Fri. 10/12 6pm Brooklyn Boulders Foundation Fundraiser $12. Sat. 10/13 6pm Elegantly Wasted - Rococo Revisdited: Art Reception FREE, 11pm I love Vyinyl: On the B side $10. Sun 10/14 1:30pm Hip Tot Festival w/The Deedle Deedle Dees $8 ind. $25 fam., 7:30PM The Bawdy Show w/ Rocha & Her Painted Ladies $8 adv. $10 dos. Mon. 10/15 7:30pm Broken Comedy Presents Mike Denny, Michael Che Nimesh Patel, and many more $5 adv. $8 dos.

Galleries

440 Gallery 440 6th Ave. (Park Slope) (718) 499-3844 440gallery.com Gallery Hrs. Thu., Fri. 4-7pm, Sat. 11am-7pm, or by appointment. Through 10/14 Brooklyn Seen by Ella Yang. Brooklyn Collective Gallery 212 Columbia St. (Union/Sackett) (718) 5966231 brooklyncollective.com Gallery hrs. Thur. - Sun 1pm-8pm through 10/31 New Collections of Local Artists FREE. Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition 499 Van Brunt St. (718) 596-2506 bwac.org Open every Sat. & Sun 1-6pm Through 10/21 Coming to Brooklyn 2012: Celebrating 20 yrs. of art shows in Red Hook. Sat. 10/13 1-6pm The 6th Annual Brooklyn Film Festival. Falconworks Kidd Studio 135 Richards St. (718) 395-3218 falconworks. com - redhooktheater.org Now accepting Applications for Fall 2012. For Kids 11-14yrs. who want to write & act in their own play. The Invisible Dog 51 Bergen St. (347) 560-3641 theinvisibledog.org Through Sat. 11/3 Shaboyden by Steven & Will. Ladd: Sculpture. Sat. 10/13 Catch 33: Performance $15. Kentler International Drawing Space—353 Van Brunt St. (718) 8752098, kentlergallery.org Gallery hrs. Thu.-Sun. noon-5pm. Through Sun. 10/21 To Be Young Gifted & Black in the Age of Obama. Look North Inuit Art Gallery—275 Conover St. Suite 4E, (347) 721-3995, looknorthny.com Polar Light: Greenland. The Greenland photography of Rena Bass Forman and the Greenland drawings of Zaria Forman. A climate change awareness exhibition held in conjunction with Al Gore’s “The Climate Project”. Sweet Lorraine Gallery 183 Lorraine St. (Clinton & Court St) (347) 409-8957 screwballspaces.com, fernbar@yahoo. com Sat.10/6-Sun 10/28 Group Ceramic Show. Opening Event Sat. 10/6 6-9pm. Sunny’s Bar Backroom 253 Conover St. (Beard/Reed St.) (718) 625-8211 sunnysredhook.com & Sunny’s Bar on facebook. Open Wed, Fri, and Sat 8pm-4am.

MOVIES MUSEUMS

Micro Museum 123 Smith St., Pacific/ Dean (718) 797-3116 micromuseum. com Through 12/20/13 Every Sat. 127pm Above & Beyond: A 3yr. retrospective of the art of William & Kathleen Laziza $2 donation. Every Sat. through 3/2/13 12-7pm Lucky 7’s, 8’s, 9’s $2 donation. Say “I like Red Hook Sart Revue” and get a free gift bag!

Mike Cobb & The Crevulators. Hope & Anchor 347 Van Brunt St.(718) 237-0276. Every Wed. 7pm, Jazz Jam w/The H & A House Band! Every Thurs. through Sat. from 9pm-1am Karaoke. Issue Project Room 110 Livingston St. (718) 451-4665 issueproject room. org Wed. 10/3 8pm Michael Pisaro: Tombstones w/Julia Holter @ Our Lady of Lebanon, 113 Remsen St.Thu 10/4 8pm Van Wissem, Connors & Heidhorn release party. Fri. 10/5 6:30 pm Sergei Tcherepnin . Thu. 10/11 8pm Borromes Quartet premier Mohammed Fairouz @ Our Lady, 113 Remsen St. Fri. 10 12 7 & 9pm Anthony McCall & David Grubbs Leaving (w/For Half Turns)@ Light Industry, 155 Freeman St. Greenpoint. Sat. 10/13 4pm Akio Suzuki: stone @ Audio Visual Arts, 34 E. 1st. St., NYC, 8pm NYFA’s 1sr International Composers Exchange @ Our Lady, 113 Remsen St. Jalopy Theatre and School of Music 315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214 jalopy. biz. Every Wed. 9pm Roots & Ruckus w/ Feral Foster FREE. Tue. 10/2 8:30pm John Lilly, Emma Graves $10. Thu. 10/4 8:30pm Apocalypse Five & Dime $10. Fri. 10/5 5:30pm Jalopy Presents Whistling Wolves @ The American Folk Art Museum, 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Ae @ 66th St. FREE. Fri 10/5, Sat. 10/6 9pm M Shanghai String Band - CD Release Parties $10. Thu. 10/11 9pm Vereritse & Jalopy host the HONK! NYC Festival $10. Fri 10/12 7:45pm The 9th Annual Brooklyn Country Music Festival $12 per day or $30/3 day pass.Fri. 7:45pm THe Buddy Hollers, Frankenspine, The Defibulators $12. Sat 5:45pm 9th BCMF: CashHank Jam, Mamie Minch, Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues, & Special Guest $12. Sun 10/14 7pm 9th BCMFw/ tThe Third Wheel Bad, JP & the Gilberts, Dive Bar Dukes, Jan Bell. Montero’s Bar 73 Atlantic Ave. @ Hicks St. (718) 534-6399 monteros-bar@facebook.com Karaoke w/Amethyst and the beautiful Andy at the bar. every Fri. & Sat. 10pm. Every Wed. after. 8pm - Midnight. The raucous musical concoctions of The Red Hook Irregulars. All Acoustic. Guest Players invited.

Rocky Sullivan’s—34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. No Cover Every Mon, Tues, Wed 8pm Live Irish Music Every Last Wed 8pm Readings By Authors. Every. Thurs. 9pm Rocky’s World Famous Pub Quiz. Every Mon 9/17 7pm Chris Byrne’s Beginner’s Tin Whistle Class. Trad. 8pm Irish Music Tue. 9/18 8pm Peadar Hickey’s Irish Language Class. Tue. 9/25 9pm Cumann Na gCruca Deirge (Last Tuesday Club): Irish Culture.

Brooklyn Public Library - Carroll Gardens 396 Clinton St. @ Union St. (718) 596-6972 brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ locations/carroll-gardens Knitting Club (all ages) Every Tues 4pm mezzanine. Memoir Writing (adult) Every Wed. 6pm Chess Club (all ages) Play and improve your game. Bring your own clock. Mon. 6/4 11:30am Babes & Books w/ 1st RIF. Tue. 6/5 3-5pm English Conversation: English for ESOL students.

The Star Theater Acoustic Jam & Hootenanny 101 Union St. ( Columbia / Van Brunt) (718) 624-5568 Every Monday Night 8pm. C&W to Jazz (with a healthy dose of Blues in the middle). Bring your Axe & Your Favorite Beverage!

Botanica—220 Conover St (@ Coffey St) 347-225-0147. New cocktails, specialty liquors & Exotic Chocolates featuring Cacao Prieto Chocolate. Sat-Sun: Afternoon cocktails. Now Open!!

The Star Theater Electric Jam 101 Union St., (Columbia / Van Brunt )Every Thur. Night 8pm Hard rock, Jazz, Blues. Full Back Line. Refreshments provided. Donations accepted. Sunny’s Bar 253 Conover St. (Beard/Reed St.) (718) 625-8211 sunnysredhook.com & Sunny’s Bar on Facebook. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, live local roots music.. Every Sat. 10pm Bluegrass/ Folk Country Jam. Union Hall 702 Union Street @5th Ave (718) 638-4400 unionhallny.com Every Sun. 7:30pm Pretty Good Friends. Comedy host by Eugene Mirman $7. Every Fri. Midnight Karaoke Killed The Cat FREE. Every Sat. 11pm CRAZY $INCE DA 90$ FREE.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative 153 Columbia St.(Kane/Degraw) (718) 522-0913 brooklyngreenway.org Sat. 10/6 5-9pm Images of Red Hook: Book Launch & Exhibit. Urban Landscapes by Thomas Rupolo. Through 11/6.Sat. 10/13 10am-Noon Columbia Street Cleanup At the above address. All equipment will be provided. Sun. 10/14 12:30-2:30pm Bicycle Tour of the Brooklyn Navy Yard $24. Call ahead for reservations.

TASTINGS

Dry Dock Wine & Spirits 424 Van Brunt St. (718) 852-3625 drydockny.com ALL TASTINGS ARE FREE! Fri. 10/5 5:30-8:30 Four Roses Bourbon. Sat. 10/6 4-7pm Argentine Wines. Sun 10/7 Hooker’s Choice. Fri. 10/12 Martin Scott: Cote du Rhone. Sat. 10/13 Great King St.: Scotch. Sun 10 14 Hooker’s Choice. MikNik Lounge 200 Columbia St. (917) 770-1984 ‘Rebel! Rebel!’ (Gay Night) every First & Third Thurs. 9pm - 2am Cheap Beer, $6 well drinks, friendly crowd.

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

Summit Academy’s Health & Wellness Event On September 22nd, Summit Academy held a Health and Wellness event at the schoolyard they currently share with PS 15. There was face painting, zumba classes, food, and rides. The day ended with a celebrity basketball game featuring the Summit Academy Dream Team against the ADC Streetball Team. The event was free and open to the public. Many proud parents, including many proud parents, including StarRevue advertising executive, Harold Boynes. photos by H.

The Waterfront Museum Lehigh Valley Barge No.79, 290 Conover Street. (718) 624-4719 ext. 11 www.waterfrontmuseum.org. Free boat tours & open hours all through the year. Thursdays 4 - 8 pm and Saturdays 1 - 5 pm. Juggling For Fun Wkshp. Call (718) 624-4719 x.11 David Sharps.Through 10/27Life on the Water: Oil paintings by Odd Andersen.

MUSIC

Bait & Tackle 320 Van Brunt Street (718) 451-4665 redhookbaitandtackle. com No Cover Wed. 10/3 8pm Smitty on Steel. Fri. 10/5 9pm Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Ray. Sat. 10/6 9pm Cinder Conk. Thu. 10/11 9pm Herb & Hanson. Fri 10/12 9pm Peter Barr. Sat. 10/13 9pm

www.RedHookStar.com

Through October 18, 2012

Here’s My Card

Introducing Business Card Classifieds. Your card categorized as below. The Star-Revue is read by over 10,000 individuals in zip code 11231 every two weeks, as it is the leading source of community news. We offer highly affordable rates - contact Sara Saldutti at 718.624.5568 or Sara@redhookstar.com to get your card in our next issue.

Your Cost: 2 months $400; 4 months $750; 6 months $1000; one year $1750. Take an extra 5% off if paid all in advance. We take all charge cards.

Movers

For Sale “Large oil painting A contemporary work of approximately 6 by 8 feet.It is painted in a loose expressionistic style.The image is of a seahorse” with other images of sea life around it. The artist used complementary colors of blue and red.The painting is livey, colorful and joyful. $1,000.00 or best offer. Vall Sr. Rosanna at Visitation Church 718 624-1572

Car Service

Put Your Ad Right Here by Calling Sara at

718 624-5568 CALL RIGHT NOW Don’t Miss Out!!!!!!!!!

Framing

Leasing

Star-Revue Classifieds Help Wanted Freelance Writers: The Red Hook Star-Revue is looking for freelance writers for both the arts and news sections.We want to buttress our news as well as local theater and arts coverage.Email Kimberly @ redhookstar.com Outside Salesperson: The Red Hook Star-Revue seeks an ambitious person who likes to walk, talk and make friends in the neighborhood to sell display advertising.Commission to start - work around your hours, no pressure.Call 718 624-5568 and speak to Kimberly or George.

Hair Dresser with Following.Licensed hairdresser needed for huge opportunity in very modern and elegant Van Brunt Street Salon.Opposite PS 15.Call Nayda at 718 935-0596 for more details. Day or afternoon grill man new diner on Columbia Street seeks a grill man with diner experience.Please call 718 855-1400.Columbia Street Diner.

Movers

COOL HAND MOVERS Friendly local guys that can relocate your life, or just shlep your new couch from Ikea.We’ll show up on time, in a truck or van if necessary, and basically kick ass -- you might even have a good time! Call for a free estimate at (917) 584-0334 or email at coolhandmovers@gmail.com Customer reviews on YELP.COM

Space Available

Warehousing and office space available in Brooklyn, Sunset park area, anywhere from 1,000 to 7,000 sq.ft @ $8.00 per sq.foot.Please call Frank Monday through Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm at 718260-9440 or 718-797-4000.

No job too big or too small

Toilets, Boilers, Heating, Faucets, Hot Water Heaters, Pool Heaters.

B & D Heating 507 Court Street 718 625-1396

The Red Hook Star-Revue publishes twice a month - classified advertising is one of the best and least expensive ways to get your message across.Special yearly contracts available for service businesses such as plumbers, electricians for as little as $500 annually.Email Sara@redhookstar.com or call (718) 624-5568

BUILDING CORP.

Serving Red Hook for over 25 years

Specializing in Construction and Historic Preservation • New construction • Renovations, additions and extensions • Masonry specialist • Concrete floors/radiant heated • Concrete/bluestone sidewalk repair • Flue linings, chimneys and fireplaces • Demolition and waste removal • Violation removals • Landmark Preservation contractor

Jim & Debbie Buscarello PHONE: (718) 852-5364 Fax: (347) 935-1263 www.jabusbuildingcorp.com jabusbuildingcorp@gmail.com HIC License #0883902 Trade Waste License #1135

Licensed Electrical Contractors Commercial • Residential • Industrial Free Estimates

Violations Removed All Types of Wiring Emergency Service EMERGENCY SERVICE 137 King Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 Fax: (718) 935-0887

Vito Liotine (718) 625-1995 (718) 625-0867 aliotine@aol.com

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

JABUS

www.RedHookStar.com

718 624-5568 www.RedHookStar.com Through Oct. 18, 2012 Page 19

Red Hook StarªRevue remembering Stephen siller from tunnel to towers

by Kimberly Gail Price

tephen Siller was a 34 year-old firefighter who lived on Staten Island and worked in Park Slope. He was returning home from his night shift the morning of September 11, 2001 when he heard about the tragedy on his car radio. He drove back to Brooklyn and ran into the Battery Tunnel to join his company in the rescue operations. He, along with 10 other members of his company did not survive the day.

Actor Gary Sinise partners his charity with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (photos by Kelly McCourtBarber)

Firefighters from all over the city participated in the run through the Battery Tunnel.

In his memory his family set up the Tunnel to Towers run. Retracing his steps from Red Hook to the World Trade Center, thousands of runners each year help raise money for charitable work for firemen and veterans. This year the event was held Sept. 30th. On the Red Hook side, the 25,000 participants lined up on Richards Street. Local resident Myke McCourt ran the race and reported that the congestion was so fierce that the race through the tunnel turned into a walk. “The best part was when we finally entered Manhattan and were greeted with the sight of the new Trade Center buildings right there in front of us,” said Myke.

Local firefighters take in the scene.

On the way to the tunnel the racers passed by our firechouse, the Red Hook Raiders where a large contingent of firefighters and their families were in front watching the crowds. Myke reported that the crowds made the event a tad disorganized, but much less than it could have been without the cooperation of the police and organizers. At the end of the race walk, particpants lined up for Dunkin Donuts, water, orange juice, strawberries, ribs, pizza, hot dogs, and beer, all donated and available free of charge, if you could get through the lines. There was huge monitors at the end of Richards Street, so everyone could watch the proceedings on the stage that was set up. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and actor John Turturro were in attendance, joining members of the NYPD, FDNY and war veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and World War II.

Crowds funnelling into tunnell

Actor Gary Sinise is associated with the surviving Sillers as some of the money raised goes to building homes for veterans, a program of the Gary Sinise Foundation. Sinise himself was on had for the race. Disabled veterans also participated.

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was closed in both directions until 1 p.m. to accommodate the race.

The Battery Tunnel is the path many first responders, including Siller, made their way to the tragedy on September 11th.

The view from Manhattan

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

www.RedHookStar.com

Local resident Myke McCourt and his brother Patrick McCourt

718 624-5568 www.RedHookStar.com Through October 18, 2012