The local paper for Downtown wn RECORDSETTER AT CARNEGIE HALL < Q&A, P.14
WEEK OF DECEMBER
25-31 2014
OTDOWNTOWN.COM
OurTownDowntown O @OTDowntown
PROTECT YOUR PURCHASES
In Brief NEW LAW LIMITS LIGHTING ON STATE BUILDINGS
SHOPPING Tips from the Department of Consumer Protection to get the most out of holiday shopping The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection has issued tips advising consumers to shop smart this holiday season, and encouraging them to be proactive in fully understanding the terms and conditions of purchases. “We want to make sure the public is mindful of their purchases and their rights as consumers,” said Secretary of State Cesar A. Perales. Last holiday season, the most frequent complaints received by the Division of Consumer Protection included (1) returns/refunds; (2) defective merchandise; (3) incorrect, late, or lost mail orders; (4) gift cards; and (5) cellular/wireless phone purchases. In response, the Division of Consumer Protection has provided the following tips for shoppers this holiday season:
Returns and Refunds The law requires stores to conspicuously post their return and refund policy. Review these terms before making a purchase. Check for any restocking fees or other fees you may be charged for a return. If a store does not post any return policy the store must accept your return within 30 days, and provide the refund in your choice of a cash or credit. However, you must provide the store a receipt or other proof of purchase. In short, keep your receipts!
Rebates When buying items that were advertised with a rebate, look for the actual selling price of the item and how the rebate will be returned to you. Keep copies of all correspondence and any documents sent to redeem a rebate, such as the UPC code and proof of purchase. The law requires retailers to advertise truthfully. Retailers can-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
Rainbow Station, one of several sex shops in Chelsea that has sparked complaints among neighbors about an increase in crime Photo by Daniel Fitzsimmons
NEIGHBORS PUSH BACK AGAINST SEX SHOPS IN CHELSEA NEWS Community fears a red-light district among the upscale shops and condos BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
CHELSEA “Everybody needs sex,” said Max, the pseudonymous man behind the counter at the Rainbow Station in Chelsea. To his left was a flat screen TV with a dozen surveillance-camera feeds of the store, including the area where patrons pay $1 to watch four minutes of porn in a private booth. Downstairs is a theater where customers can consume porn in a more communal setting. Upstairs is where the store does most of its business, according to
Max, amid the multitudinous racks of brightly colored lingerie and toys catering to all genders and a wide variety of tastes. But outside on the street, some members of the community accuse stores like the Rainbow Station of contributing to a rise in crime in the neighborhood, including prostitution, drug use, public sex and vandalism. “Men are constantly being solicited as they go down the street,” said Laura Evans, president of a group representing the 300 block of 7th Avenue, at 18th Street and 19th Street. Eighth Avenue between 17th Street and 21st Street is home to around a half-dozen establishments that serve the gay community, including two sex toy shops, a lingerie boutique, an adult DVD store, a men’s
spa and a gay bar. Evans said she’s received reports of discarded drug paraphernalia on the street and men who are seen performing sex acts in alleys and stairwells. One neighbor, she said, found human feces outside his doorstep. “I think a lot of people see things like used condoms and hypodermic needles on the streets,” she said. And an increase in crime, she said, has coincided with some of these stores opening. “As there are more stores opening we’re seeing greater problems,” said Evans. “It’s the nature of their business and what they do.” Last year her group opposed an effort by Splosh, a boutique on 8th Avenue and 18th Street, to obtain a
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Let there be (not so much) light. A New York lawmaker is trumpeting legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to curtail light pollution from state-owned buildings. Sen. Carl Marcellino says his bill requires the use of shielded lights on the exterior of state buildings, directing lighting downward onto streets, walkways and public spaces. Marcellino says unshielded lighting causes something called sky glow. That obscures night sky views and creates road glare. He says excessive outdoor lighting causes over 100 million bird fatalities across the United States annually. The Assembly’s Linda B. Rosenthal of Manhattan, a cosponsor, says the law takes effect in a year.
FINANCIAL SUCCESS AT SUCCESS ACADEMY The Success Academy charter school network took in a whopping $34.6 million for the financial year ended June 2013, according to tax documents reviewed by the Daily News. That’s up nearly $18 million from $16.7 million in the prior year. Success Academy officials said the revenue increase came from a mix of contributions, grants and funding from the city for the operations of their schools. The booming growth resulted in sharply higher pay for Success founder Eva Moskowitz, who took home $567,500. That’s more than twice the salary of city schools boss Carmen Farina, who earns $212,614 to oversee the city’s system of roughly 1,800 schools.