downtown

Merchant
River House
opens, pg. 15

®
Volume 23, Number 36
express The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan January 19 - 25, 2011

Imam shuffle
at Park 51
BY Aline Reynolds
Imam Shaykh Abdallah
Adhami, who for 20 years
led prayers at a former
mosque two blocks away
from Park51, is joining
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
as one of several chief reli-
gious advisors of the future
Islamic community center
on Park Place.
Adhami and a half-dozen
other prominent N.Y.C.-
based religious leaders will
be added to the executive
board of Park51, which is
close to gaining nonprofit
status.
Adhami and the other
reverends, rabbis and
Imams soon-to-be appointed
by Sharif El-Gamal, chief
Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer
executive officer of SoHo
nent” of the project, accord-
ing to a statement issued by
the center.
Adhami eagerly accepted
the position, calling it an
“extraordinary opportunity”
to be a key advisor in the
project moving forward.
“[Park51] has enormous
creative and healing poten-
tial for the collective good
in New York City and in
our nation,” said the Imam,
whose former mosque had
to close after it lost its lease,
according to Park51.
Born in Georgetown,
Washington D.C., Adhami
studied architecture at Pratt
Institute in Brooklyn, and
worked for seven years in
international organizational
development, communica-

A maiden call fit for a Queen Properties and the president

of Park51, will “create a
robust and dynamic reli-
tions and executive training
He did post-doctoral work
on the legal, ethical and spir-
Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Elizabeth, docked at the Midtown Manhattan Cruise Terminal on Jan. 13, 2011 for
the ship’s maiden call on New York City. Story on pg 14. gious and interfaith compo- itual meanings of shari’ah

Continued on page 20

Black drops ball at school

overcrowding meeting
BY Aline Reynolds
Cathie Black, the city’s new
Department of Education chancellor,
had little to say at last Thursday’s
school overcrowding task force meet-
ing organized by NY State Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver. But the little
that she did say made headlines and
sparked outrage around the city.
Task force member Eric Greenleaf,
a business professor at New York
University’s Stern School of Business,
an estimated need for 1,000 additional
seats by 2015, Black made a verbal
gaffe that riled up the entire educa-
tional community.
“Could we just have some birth con-
trol for a while? It would really help us
all out,” joked Black.
The comment was “shocking,”
according to Downtown parent
Deborah Somerville and others.
P.S. 234 parent Tina Schiller, who
was opposed to Black’s appointment as
dent of Millennium High School’s par-
ent-teacher association, merely thought
of it as a poor attempt at humor. “I
don’t think she meant anything by it,
[but] it was probably in retrospect not
a good idea,” he said.
People elsewhere around the city
also took offense at Black’s comment.
City Councilmember Julissa Ferreras
of Queens, chair of the NYC Council’s
committee on women’s issues, said she
was “appalled and offended” by Black’s

Mama of them all

has done extensive research on the
population boom in Lower Manhattan
and the resulting overcrowding in the
schools. When he presented his latest
data to Black on Thursday, showing
chancellor, said she was not surprised
by Black’s joke. “It just kind of reiter-
ates the lightness in which the D.O.E.
takes our plight,” she said.
Others like Tom Moore, co-presi-
statement. “The job of a chancellor,”
said Ferreras, “is to ensure that our
Continued on page 21 Turn to pg 11 for a tribute to Ellen Stewart.
2 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 downtown express

D
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youth ��������������������������������� 22
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Classifieds��������������������� 26

M C.B. 1 673 police to man WTC Broad Street.

Nearly 700 officers will be assigned to
ee ting s patrol the World Trade Center once it is fully
redeveloped, according an Associated Press
report published by The Washington Post.
A schedule of this week’s upcoming
Community Board 1 committee meet-
New York Police Department Commissioner
Raymond Kelly discussed the need for compre-
ings is below. Unless otherwise noted, all hensive security at the site at an event held on
committee meetings are held at the board Tuesday for the Police Foundation, a nonprofit
office, located at 49-51 Chambers St., advocacy policing group.
room 709 at 6 p.m. The W.T.C. site requires special monitor-
ing, since it is still a terrorist target, Kelly
ON WED., JAN. 19: C.B. 1’s said at the event.
Waterfront Committee will meet. Also, according to the Associated Press,
Kelly has chosen a deputy commissioner for
ON THURS., JAN. 20: C.B. 1’s the World Trade Center command who is
Quality of Life Committee will meet at crafting a security plan for the memorial ser-
5:30 p.m. vice scheduled for next September in obser-
In its first year, the Hive has been used
more than 5,000 times, with upwards of
100 regular members, according to the
Downtown Alliance. It has grown an average
of 22 percent per month, and more than 80
percent of its desks are assigned monthly.
Downtown Alliance collaborated with
Pace University, Girls in Tech, GuruLoft and
other tech and social media groups to host
more than 100 events there thus far.
Speakers at Tuesday’s event included
Downtown Alliance President Elizabeth Berger
and Rudin Management Chairman William
Rudin. President Seth Pinsky of the NYC
Economic Development Corporation, the com-
pany that provided a $100,000 grant to the
Downtown Alliance, also said a few words.
services for seniors who wish to age-in-place
in the neighborhood.
The 14-member task force will convene for
its January monthly meeting next Monday eve-
ning at the C.B. 1 offices on Chambers Street.
Silverstein tables bond sale
Silverstein Properties, the lead developer
of the World Trade Center, has postponed
the sale of $1.3 billion in tax-exempt liberty
bonds to pay for 4 W.T.C., one of the three
W.T.C. towers that need financing from the
bonds, according to a report published by
the Wall Street Journal. Borrowers have
hurried to capitalize on the Build America
bonds, a federal subsidies program, causing
volatility in the municipal bond market in
recent weeks, according to the report.

ON MON., JAN. 24: C.B. 1’s

vance of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.
Affordable housing guide Though Silverstein’s bonds don’t fall
within the government program, the devel-
Affordable Housing Task Force will
meet. Hive at 55 Turns One Community Board 1’s Affordable
Housing Task Force has discovered close to
oper wants to hold off on selling the bonds.
“Like many other issuers of tax-exempt debt
Lower Manhattan’s Business Improvement 1,000 affordable housing units in the C.B. 1 around the country, Silverstein Properties
ON TUES., JAN. 25: C.B. 1 will hold District, Downtown Alliance, celebrated the area, according to task force chairman Tom and the Port Authority have elected to wait
its monthly full board meeting at 6 p.m. one-year anniversary of The Hive at 55, a Goodkind. until the municipal bond market stabilizes
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Downtown 1
co-working facility located at 55 The task force is planning to create a before issuing bonds that will support the
guide “for those who want to live here and ongoing development of 4 W.T.C.,” said
think they can’t afford it - pushing for a more Bud Perrone, a spokesperson for Silverstein
diverse community, and protecting our cur- Properties.

Love under rent tenancy,” said Goodkind.

The group, led by Tribeca-based film pro-
Perrone added that Silverstein would be
prepared to “act as soon as market condi-

wraps.
ducer Amy Sewell, is also coming up with tions improve,” which the developer antici-
a dollar figure of the amount of affordable pates to happen “in the coming weeks or
housing the city has subsidized. months.” 
The task force also hopes to form He noted that the delay of the sale
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downtown express
9/11 responder hopes to halt Park51 construction
BY Aline Reynolds
Petitioner Timothy Brown, a 9/11 first
responder firefighter who worked to achieve
landmark status for buildings impacted by
the September 11 attacks, is trying to pre-
vent Park51 organizers from tearing down
the former Burlington Coat Factory building
on Park Place to make way for a sixteen-
story Islamic community center.
The lawsuit calls into question the
Landmark Preservation Commission’s deci-
sion to deny landmark status to the building
at 45-47 Park Place. Brown’s suit also cites
improper influence by the mayor’s adminis-
tration, which he believes led to the commis-
sion’s decision.
The American Center for Law and Justice
filed an amended complaint on behalf of
Brown last Tuesday, requesting that the New
York State Supreme Court halt demolition
or construction activity at the site until a
judge in court hears his case.
The lawsuit, however, might be dismissed,
according to the City’s law department.
Brown sued developer SoHo Properties
— whose chief executive officer, Sharif
El-Gamal, is one of the project’s investors —
rather than the legal owner of the site, which
is 45 Park Place Partners. The company
purchased the building at 45-47 Park Place
in Summer 2009.
This mishap renders the case invalid,
according to Adam Leitman Bailey, the law-
Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
A lawsuit seeking to stop the construction of the proposed Islamic community
Center on Park Place might be thrown out due to a technicality.
yer representing the city and SoHo Properties
in the case. “There has never been a case in
New York, ever, where someone can win
if they didn’t name the right party in 120
Downtown Express file photo
days,” he said.
Bailey said the 120-day deadline passed
in early December.
But Brett Joshpe, an attorney from the
3
A.C.L.J. who is representing Brown, refuted
the claim, calling it “nonsense.”
“They’ve represented all along that SoHo
Properties is the owner of the property before
landmarks decision,” said Joshpe. “It’s really
an attempt to distract from the substance of
the suit.”
A court date is set for Wednesday at noon
at 60 Centre Street, in which both sides will
present their arguments in front of a NY
State Supreme Court judge.
Brown’s suit, filed last August, alleges
that, after 20 years of considering the site
for landmark status, the city’s Landmarks
Preservation Commission ultimately made
an “arbitrary and capricious” decision at the
July 13 hearing.
Brown and the A.C.L.J. have both spoken
out against the proposed Islamic community
center ever since last year, when the Park51
debate began to heat up.
According to the complaint, Brown has
reason to believe that demolition of the
buildings at 45-51 Park Place could be immi-
nent, referencing two complaints on the city
Department of Buildings website that cite
recent unauthorized work at the site; and
developer SoHo Properties’ application for
a five million dollar grant from the Lower
Manhattan Development Corporation that
may or may not be used for capital expens-
Continued on page 19
 4 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
police blotter
Weapons arraignment
Jonathan Shaw, 57, an East Village tattoo artist, pleaded
not guilty at his Jan. 11 State Supreme Court arraignment
on charges of illegal possession of assault rifles, handguns,
ammunition and knives found in his rented South St. stor-
age locker. Shaw, son of famed big band leader Artie Shaw,
was arrested Nov. 6, 2010 after an employee of a shipping
company notified police about a cache of weapons in Shaw’s
Manhattan Mini Storage locker at 220 South St. Shaw has
been free on $250,000 bond pending a March 22 court
appearance on the 89-count indictment for unlicensed pos-
session of weapons including an assault rifle, a .30 caliber
semiautomatic rifle, a 12-guage pump-action pistol grip shot
gun, a British army rifle, more than 2,000 rounds of ammu-
nition, five pairs of brass knuckles and 68 illegal knives and
daggers, including a bayonet. Shaw was arranging to ship the
weapons to Los Angeles when he was arrested. Manhattan
District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. referred to the Jan. 8 fatal
shootings in Tucson, Ariz. at the Jan. 11 arraignment. “The
events of the past weekend remind us that gun violence con-
tinues to plague our nation,” Vance said, pledging to pros-
ecute illegal weapons owners and dealers and get stockpiles
of illegal guns off the streets.
Woman, 81, mugged
A strapping woman, described as being 5’11” and weigh-
ing nearly 200 pounds, knocked an 81-year-old woman to
the floor of the Fulton St. subway station around 10:40 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 4 and made off with her bag, according to reports.
The victim was returning to her Greenpoint home after
her office cleaning job when the suspect followed her and
attacked her just before she reached the turnstile, accord-
ing to a New York Post item. The victim, Madeline Klima,
told the Post that the mugger made off with her paychecks
totaling $800.
Bank robbery arrest
Police arrested Enrique Cova, 43, Thurs., Jan. 6 and

 N.Y.U. to start oil-spill cleanup on Bleecker St.
 By Albert Amateau
 New York University will begin excavation for the clean-
up of the Dec. 6, 2009, oil leak at Washington Square Village
 — with continued monitoring of air quality and groundwater
 — in the next week or so, university officials told residents
 and Community Board 2 representatives on Jan. 5.
 Beth Morningstar, N.Y.U. assistant vice president for



 • Dry Cleaners

• Evening Formal
 
• Wedding Gowns

 • Launder & Press

• Wash & Fold Laundry
 
• Alterations

 • Patches & Repairs

• Carpet 
& Rug Cleaning
 






charged him with two robberies of the Bank of America
branch on Bayard St. near Bowery, one on Christmas Eve
and the other on New Year’s Eve. The suspect, who fin-
ished serving a seven-year prison term for robbery a year
ago, walked into the bank at 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, and
passed a teller a note saying, “Give me 100 $100 bills
or we will take hostages and move in.” He fled with an
undetermined sum of cash, according to charges filed with
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. The defen-
dant returned to the same branch at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 31,
passed another note to a teller but fled without anything,
according to the charges. He is being held pending a Feb.
1 court appearance.
Movie and dinner
A Bayonne, N.J. woman parked her 2010 Jeep Wrangler
at the corner of W. Broadway and Grand St., around 11 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 16 while she went to a movie and had some sup-
per. But she returned a couple of hours later and discovered
that the car had been stolen, police said. Her bag, with an
iPod and another cell phone, were in the car, police said.
The victim’s EZ Pass electronic record showed the pass had
been used around 8:30 p.m. the following day at the Queens
Midtown Tunnel, police said.
Car break-in
A Queens woman parked her car in front of 58 Walker
St. around 2 p.m. Sat., Jan. 15 and returned at 4:42 p.m. to
discover the driver’s side window smashed and her bag with
credit cards, $60 in cash, the car’s Global Positioning System
and her Gucci eyeglasses gone.
Subway theft
A transit policeman spotted a suspect hovering over a
sleeping passenger on an E train being held in the Fulton
St. station around 4:20 a.m. Sat. Jan. 15. The suspect, John
Gathers, 55, was arrested and charged with larceny after he
While about 5,000 gallons of the leaked No. 6 heating oil
was removed soon after the leak was discovered from two
tanks in the boiler room and underground areas in front of
3 and 4 Washington Square Village, about 11,000 gallons of
congealed oil in the soil must be removed as part of a deeper
remediation.
strategic initiatives in the university operations division,
promised anxious Washington Square Village residents that
she would respond to calls around the clock from residents
during the cleanup project, which is expected to be complete
by early May 2011.
Stephanie Kung, health and safety director of N.Y.U.
operations and the person in charge of the cleanup project,
told residents that no weekend work has been scheduled at
this time. Groundwater test wells, installed soon after the
emergency removal was completed, will continue testing.
Random air quality tests in public areas of Washington
Square Village buildings 3 and 4 will continue during the
project, Kung said.
Barbara Backer, co-chairperson of the Washington
Square Village Tenants Association, however, called for air
testing in apartments on the first residential floor of the
buildings.
“There is a whole row of apartments in buildings 3 and
4 with vents in the kitchens and bathrooms and there is air
downtown express
cut the sleeper’s pocket and removed $300 in cash, police
said.
Grabbed from shoulder bag
A Queens woman told police she was getting off a No.
4 train at Broadway and Wall Sts. around 4:30 p.m. Tues.,
Jan. 11 when she discovered that a thief had stolen her iPad,
valued at $800, from her shoulder bag.
Seaport snatch
A visitor from North Carolina who was paying for food at
a cart on the third floor of Pier 17 in the South St. Seaport
around 2:35 p.m. Sat. Jan. 15 put his wallet on the counter
for a moment when a woman grabbed it and fled, police said.
The victim told police he followed the woman who got onto
a waiting Water Taxi. He demanded his wallet back but the
woman pretended she didn’t understand him. She was gone
when the boat pulled away, leaving the victim poorer by
$850, which was in his wallet, police said.
Bag stolen
A visitor from Madrid, Spain, who was having coffee at
the Starbucks at 233 Broadway around 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 16,
left her bag on a table when she went to another table to talk
with a friend, police said. A man picked the bag up, took it
to an employee and said it had been forgotten. He returned
a short time later, told the employee that the woman who
forgot the bag was just outside talking with someone and
said he would give it to her. He ran off with the bag con-
taining the victim’s Spanish ID, credit cards and 10 Euros,
police said.
Lost uptown
A Manhasset woman was about to pay her cab fare at 3
a.m. Sun., Jan. 9 after a trip to 54 Wall St. from Midtown
when she discovered that her wallet and jewelry, including
a David Yurman ring and bracelet, with a total value of
$1,900 had been stolen from her bag. She told police she
last checked her bag at Brother Jimmy’s, a restaurant on
Lexington Ave. in Murray Hill.
— Alber t Amateau
coming in. I can feel it when I take a shower,” Backer said.
Moreover, cracks in the masonry of the buildings also admit
air, Backer added.
Kung said she would definitely look into the possibility
of more extensive air monitoring, including tests at the
Morton Williams supermarket on the south side of Bleecker
St. The current plan calls for random air monitoring 10 to
20 feet downwind from the construction area.
Residents and neighbors, including Judith Callet, resi-
dential chairperson of the Bleecker Area Merchants and
Residents Association, are also anxious about auto and
bicycle traffic when the parking lane on Bleecker St. is
closed at the end of January and traffic is confined to one
lane during the construction period. They asked N.Y.U. to
urge the city Department of Transportation to limit traffic
on Bleecker St. during the project.
However, Jo Hamilton, chairperson of Community Board
2, told residents that D.O.T. has existing traffic protocols
wherever construction impacts on street and sidewalk circu-
lation. Nevertheless, the C.B. 2 Transportation Committee
will hold a hearing on the cleanup’s traffic impact, Hamilton
said. Kung said that D.O.T. is expected to issue construc-
tion and fence permits by the time digging begins. While
the planted area between the Bleecker St. sidewalk and the
Continued on page 8
downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 5

New exhibit at Police Museum for little people only

BY Helaina N. Hovitz
Lower Manhattan should be on the look-
out because; there is a new crop of police
recruits and they’re fighting crime before
naptime.  Downtown community.
After receiving a $150,000 grant from
the National Institute of Museum and
Library Services, the New York City Police
Museum began working collaboratively with
the Children’s Museum of Manhattan last
year. The purpose of the grant was to cre-
ate an interactive exhibit geared towards
children under ten, which opened to the
public last Thursday. The museum has seen
a tremendous increase in student and family
attendance over the past two years, and saw
a need to create an exhibit specially designed
to teach young children what it takes to
become one of New York’s Finest.
The Junior Officer’s Discovery Zone on
the ground floor of the museum is divid-
ed into four sections, including  the Police
Academy, Emergency Services Unit, Park
and Precinct and a Multi-Purpose Area. The
Police Academy exhibit features a computer
station that takes fingerprints and classifies
DNA based on a “loop, whirl, or arch pat-
tern.” A memory test identical to the one
given on the actual N.Y.P.D. police exam
gives kids twenty seconds to study a sweep-
ing New York City street scene and answer
specific questions about details in the photo,
and the physical fitness test is the very same
test that all potential N.Y.P.D. recruits must
take.
Younger children can play with a magnet
board that places different types of officers
in various locations citywide, and explains
the various uniforms police wear, which vary
depending on the job.
“It’s important for kids to know who they
can trust if they’re lost or scared, and be able
to recognize them on the street” said Elana
Yellen, the museum’s manager of education.
Kindergartners from P.S. 19 gave the
exhibit its first test run; among them was
Naliyah Natalia, 5, who thought the exhibit
was “the most special museum” she’d ever
been to.
“It’s so cool, and the slide is perfect,”
said Natalia. “I like climbing around in the
precinct.”
Natalia is referring to the mock First
Kindergartners from P.S. 19 received first dibs at experiencing the New York City
Police Museum’s newest exhibit, the Junior Officer’s Discovery Zone at last week’s
ribbon cutting.
Precinct residing in the corner of the room,
in which kids can crawl through winding
hallways full of fun artifacts and pictures and
exit down a slide.
Other features include an old style police
car that makes rather convincing siren and
acceleration sounds, and an Emergency
Services Unit truck full of real E.S.U. equip-
ment and coded radio call buttons, which
5-year-old Olivia Williams had a blast push-
ing.
“I think I want to be a police officer when
I grow up,” explained Williams, as she made
“radio calls” from the E.S.U. truck. “They
have handcuffs and guns.”
But N.Y.P.D. Sergeant Veronica Willis,
assigned to the museum as a liaison officer,
thinks it is important to show kids that police
officers do more than “just arrest bad guys.”
“Kids can learn what it’s like to be an offi-
cer, and what skills are required,” said Willis.
“It’s important that they learn the roles of
their role models.”
Among the guest speakers at the opening
ceremony were Downtown Alliance President
Downtown Express photo by Helaina N. Hovitz
Elizabeth Berger, First Deputy Commissioner
Rafael Pineiro and Community Board 1 Chair
Julie Menin.
“Now that the museum features an
interactive exhibit, kids will really be able
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to understand how being a police officer
works,” Menin said, adding that since the
N.Y.P.D. were first responders on September
11, the exhibit has special resonance in the
Yellen also thinks the exhibit is an impor-
tant addition to Lower Manhattan because
“there are few, if any, places in the neighbor-
hood where children can use their imagina-
tions and mother and child groups can come
to instead of going to each other’s homes.”
Yellen believes, however, that the exhibit
is an important stop for children citywide to
make.
“Unlike in other places, city kids see police
officers in their day-to-day lives, and they
need to know that trusted adults are there to
keep them safe,” said Yellen.
As part of their effort to bring families into
the exhibit, the museum invites grandparents
to bring children under the age of five to the
museum on Tuesdays from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
for snacks, special activities and an “infor-
mal support network.” The museum, which
resides in the former location of the First
Precinct at 100 Old Slip, saw 15,000 student
visitors last year and expects that number to
grow with the new exhibit.
For more information, call 212-480-3100
or visit  www.nycpm.org. The museum is
open Monday through Saturday from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to
5 p.m.

Eric Huang, M.D., Ph.D

Board Certified Dermatologist

291 Broadway, Suite 1803, NYC

Corner of Broadway and Reade Street

212-233-2995
Most Major Insurance Carriers Accepted
6 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 downtown express

New Pier seeking old ships

The Hudson River Park Trust is looking ships can utilize the space. It is possible that
for some old ships to dock next to its new a cluster of smaller vessels such as sailboats
pier in Tribeca. The Trust’s master plan calls could use one set of the fenders while larger
for three piers with the ability to harbor ships used the other two.
historic vessels on a long-term basis and Pier It will not be the first instance that historic
25 is the first to be completed. The other two boats have docked next to piers on the Hudson
are Pier 54 and Pier 97. River but it is the first time a boat would be
Certain infrastructure requirements are docking for an extended period of time.
necessary for historic vessels to dock at a “There were some that predated the
pier for an extended period of time. Trust, but this really is more a fulfillment of
“There are things like foam-filled fend- the original vision for the park,” said Doyle.
ers and provisions for utility hook-ups to “The plan was to incorporate elements of the
pump out the sewage,” said the Trust’s Vice park’s rich waterfront history.”
President Noreen Doyle. As far as any fees associated with the ves-
The Trust released a request for propos- sels and their programming, the Trust’s pro-
als on January 7 announcing its search. posal does not prohibit activities that would
Doyle said the programming of the ships charge a fee. But Doyle noted that there are
and their role at the pier would be based on certain expectations.
who applies. “If it’s something that would make a sig-
The proposal outlines examples of pos- nificant amount of money, there is an expec-
sible programming including vessels with tation that wouldn’t it fully be pocketed,”
“room for a classroom that would be made said Doyle.
available for environmental or maritime Since it is a park, there has to be a bal-
educational programs.” Another example is ancing of the public interest, said Doyle.
a vessel that might function as a museum, Scenarios include possible dockage fees
while a third might offer field trips or other paid to the Trust or substantial and signifi-
excursions for visitors. cant reinvestments back into the vessels by
When Pier 25 was designed the Trust the operators.
knew it would eventually host a historic ves- “We’re not going to allow a penny in
sel so there were certain assumptions made exchange for a lucrative operation,” said
in the engineering process, said Doyle. The Doyle. Downtown Express photo by John Bayles
design included three sets of foam fenders, The north side of Pier 25 will soon host historic vessels on a long-term basis in an
but that does not necessarily mean only three — John Bayles attempt to fulfill the Trust’s master plan for the park.

T ER

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Assemblyman Shelly Silver

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If you need assistance, please contact my office at
PREFERRED CARD OF
JA ZZ AT L I N CO L N C E N T E R JALC.ORG (212) 312-1420 or email silver@assembly.state.ny.us.
downtown express
Five years later, East River
Park work almost done
By Aline Reynolds
Amid leftover snow and ice from the
recent snowstorms, joggers and dog walkers
on a recent weekday made their way up and
down the East River Park’s new promenade,
which is nearly fully complete.
Structural renovations to the park, which
began in mid-2005, are slated for comple-
tion by early spring, according to John
Natoli, chief engineer of the city’s Parks
Department.
Workers are now finishing the final 600
feet of the new, 6,600-foot riverfront walk-
way, the key component of the construction
project. Joggers, walkers and skateboarders
will soon have use of the esplanade’s full
length. The project’s landscaping will be
completed by early summer, in time for the
park’s peak-usage summer months.
The $84 million in refurbishments, fund-
ed by the city, involved replacing 65-year-old
sewers and the concrete that made up the
former walkway.
Redoing the promenade, a 2-mile stretch
from 14th St. down to Cherry St., was the
project’s most challenging aspect, Natoli
said, since it required removal of the old
walkway’s wooden piles and support struc-
tures and crumbling concrete slabs. The tim-
ber, which had limited strength, was used in
abundance to uphold the old platform.
The crew built two embayment bridges
— which will no doubt be popular with fish-
ermen, though they are for use by all park-
goers — each with its own set of fluorescent
lights. Each embayment bridge cost more
Cold blooded
The freezing temperatures did not seem to bother this runner last Saturday as
he jogged in Hudson River Park.
Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 7
��������������� ���������
���������������������������
than $1 million. Construction of the north-
ern bridge, at E. Fourth St., was completed
��������������������
last May. The southern bridge, at Delancey
St., will be finished by August.
Boulders are being used to replace the
former timber piles in these areas, placed
between the embayment bridges and the
promenade to absorb the impact of the
water’s waves.
“It was supposed to be just grass, but we
found out it’d get destroyed in the storms,”
Natoli said, of the decision to go with boul-
ders.
To its west, the promenade is bordered
by ball fields, playgrounds and tennis courts,
which the Parks team spruced up by eliminat- '�� � )����� � (������� � &������� � � � ��� � '��������� � ��
ing paving cracks and adding gravel, where
appropriate, as well as fencing and lighting.
)������ � ��� � '�� � *������ � !�� � '����� � � � � ��� � + ��
The Parks Department worked with ,������� � -������� � $�� � ��� � � ��� � &�������� � -��������
the city’s Department of Environmental )���� �� � �� � ���� � � � � ������ ��������� � ����� � ������ � � �
Conservation in making sure they created an
esplanade that is environmentally friendly.
���������� ���������������� �����������%�������� ����� ����
The new platform is impervious to erosion, �������������� ���������������� �������������� ������� ��
since the steel platform was constructed � �����������������������������
above the water’s high-tide levels, according
to Mohamed Ayoub, administrative con-
struction engineer for the Parks Department. ���������� ������������ ������ ����������� ����������
And since it’s at a greater height than the old
platform, Natoli explained, the new walkway ��������������� ���������������� � �����������
also allows fish to swim underneath.
The park’s Fire Boat House, where Ayoub � ��������������������������� ��
and his colleagues are based, also needed
stabilization, “or it would have fallen into � ������������ ������� ��
the river,” Natoli said. The Fire Boat House � ���� ������������� �� ���� �����
also is home to the Lower East Side Ecology � ������������������ �� �������������
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Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess ������������������������������������������ ��� ��������������������
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8 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
N.Y.U. to start oil-spill cleanup on Bleecker St.
Continued from page 4
buildings — where the soil is saturated with
oil — has already been enclosed behind a
chain-link fence, a working-area fence will
soon extend to the curb.
The plan calls for excavating “slowly,
2 feet at a time,” said Kung. Shoring will
be installed to support the 17-story build-
ings. The westernmost tank, No. 3, is to
be removed along with oil-soaked soil. The
easternmost tank, No. 4, was emptied and
cleaned during the emergency remediation
and current plans call for leaving it in place;
it could be removed if conditions demand,
Kung said.
All contaminated soil will be removed
by truck, and clean soil will be used for
backfill.
No. 6 heating oil has the consistency of
sludge when cold and must be heated before
use as heating fuel. The four Washington
Square Village buildings had ceased using
their boilers for heating and had been on
the university co-generation grid before the
leak occurred; the heating oil was a backup
in the event of an interruption of co-gen-
eration power. Now, however, the backup
fuel is natural gas, according to university
officials at the Jan. 5 meeting.
Residents said that initial reports about
whether No. 6 oil was hazardous were con-
fusing. The oil is classified in state agency
A cyclist in the Bleecker St. bike lane rode by the section of oil-contaminated soil — behind the fencing — at Washington Square
Village.
documents as being in the “not hazardous”
category, but the same documents use the
word “hazardous” to describe the fuel when
it contaminates soil.
Gary Parker, N.Y.U. director of com-
munity and government affairs, said he
plans to hold information meetings for
residents, community leaders and repre-
sentatives of elected officials around 3 p.m.
on Wednesdays every two weeks during
construction.
Ellen Peterson Lewis, a public member of the
C.B. 2 Environment, Public Safety and Public
Health Committee, represented the board at
“Bodies” gets a makeover
The “Bodies” exhibit is closed for the
month of January while it receives a sub-
stantial makeover, according to Premier
Exhibitions, the company that owns and
operates the exhibit.
John Zaller, vice president of creative
and design at Premier Exhibitions, said the
updated galleries will have “fascinating ele-
ments to allow visitors a window inside their
bodies to see how remarkable and complex
they are.” The exhibit’s curators, Zaller
explained, comprehensively thought out the
changes.
“Our learning over the past five years,
and comments from visitors, has been that
people want to know more about how the
body works… and what they can do to pre-
vent disease,” said Zaller.
There are no plans for exterior refurbish-
ments to the building, which is perched
at the corner of Fulton and Front Streets,
steps away from the South Street Seaport
Museum and a two-minute walk from the
Fulton Street subway station.
The exhibit will showcase 130 new speci-
mens never-before seen in New York, sixteen
of which are full-body, along with multime-
dia programming meant to provide a “fresh
experience for each visitor.” The smaller
specimens will also offer a more comprehen-
sive view of the development of the human
fetus. Visitors will be able to track a fetus’
development from nine to 24 weeks.  — Aline Reynolds
downtown express
Photo by Albert Amateau
the Jan. 5 meeting. Also attending were Ann
Arlen, a former C.B. 2 member and longtime
head of the board’s Environment Committee,
as well as aides to Assemblymember Deborah
Glick, state Senator Tom Duane, Borough
President Scott Stringer and Congressmember
Jerrold Nadler.
Many of the galleries will be updated
with interactive features, including illustrat-
ed wall displays and a physical examination
that assesses visitors’ health in relation to
national standards and averages.  
The updated galleries will include a
display of healthy lungs, which will be
juxtaposed to a smoker’s deteriorating
lungs. And the gallery featuring the human
body’s circulation system will contain a
full-body display and a new cast of blood
vessels. Zaller expects a physical demon-
stration of the deterioration of a smoker’s
lungs anticipated to be “really powerful
for visitors.” 
Sprucing up the galleries, Zaller explained,
is an important part of the exhibit’s overall
role in the South Street Seaport. The plan,
he said, is to keep the exhibit going for the
next five or 10 years. “Our feeling is that,
as long as people have a body, they’re going
to be interested in how it works, what ails
it, and how you cure it,” he said. Premier
Exhibitions has a long-term lease on the
space, with multiple extension options.
Zaller noted that Premier exhibitions has
a “very good relationship” with its landlord,
the Howard Hughes Corporation, and that
the company hopes to “help maintain the
health of the Seaport” by attracting new
tourists to the area and generating visitors.
downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 9

As winter winds chill, BRC continues street outreach efforts 

BY Winnie McCroy
As the mercury continues to plummet, the Bowery
Residents’ Committee continues their street outreach to
area homeless substance abusers and those seeking men-
tal health — in preparation for the March 2011 opening
of their 127 W. 25th St. vertical campus facility
At half past three on a gray winter Wednesday, I
meet up with BRC Executive Director Muzzy Rosenblatt
and two street outreach workers as they begin their
shift at Madison Square Park. They are easy to spot in
their bright orange windbreakers that read “BRC Street
Outreach” on the back.
The men, Francis Garzon and Dennis Poirier, say they
will begin by circling Madison Square Park, and then
walk the interior. The park is part of their beat, which
runs roughly from 23rd to 28th Streets between Fifth
and Tenth Avenues.
Garzon and Poirier check in with a man carrying
several shopping bags who stands on the corner. The
exchange is pleasant, but the man says he doesn’t need
any help right now. We continue down the east side of
the park, where a tall, older white man in a blue baseball
cap with an gold insignia embroidered on it is sorting
through newspapers in the trash. The guys stop to talk
with him. His name is Alan, he says. He is friendly and
does not seem to be under the influence of drugs or alco-
hol. In fact, he reminds me of a friend’s father. Garzon
gives him a card with the BRC hotline number on it, and
we move on.
It is sad to see so many older people on the street,
especially when it is so cold outside, I say.
“You can’t come to it with pity. You have to admire
Photo by Winnie McCroy

Continued on page 12 BRC outreach workers, Garzon, left, and Poirier, right, in Madison Square Park.

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10 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 downtown express

editorial letters to the editor

Publisher & Editor
John W. Sutter Chancellor Black: Painful chapter is closed The killers among us
Associate Editor
John Bayles Time to lead To the Editor, To The Editor:
Arts Editor When the Deutsche Bank building at Last month, Sylvie Cachay was murdered
Scott Stiffler Much was made of new Department of Education 130 Liberty Street finally comes down at the in my district. Last week, her ex-boyfriend,
Chancellor Cathie Black’s off-handed birth control end of this month, it will close out a painful Nicholas Brooks, was charged with second-
Reporters joke at last week’s School Overcrowding Task Force chapter in the history of our city and signal degree murder. She is just one victim in
Aline Reynolds meeting, and for good reason. The crisis that Lower an era of new hope for our Downtown com- an upward trend of intimate-partner vio-
Albert Amateau Manhattan is facing as it pertains to the overcrowd- munity. lence; yet membership to an exclusive club
Lincoln Anderson ing of public schools is no laughing matter and Severely damaged in the 9/11 attacks, the and family ties to an award-winning musi-
should not be handled lightly. building once again became a focus of grief cian made this particular story infiltrate the
Sr. V.P. of Sales
That being said, we do not wish to further elabo- and mourning when two city firefight- media. Even stories about the poodle the
and Marketing
rate on Ms. Black’s poor use of words. ers, Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino, victim left behind were published.
Francesco Regini
Who hasn’t said something they regret? were tragically killed in a fire there six years Each day in the United States, an average
Sr. Marketing Consultant But it must not go unnoticed that she showed up later. of three women are murdered by an intimate
Jason Sherwood to State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s task force After that terrible day in 2007, I formed a partner. Of female murder victims, one-third
meeting unprepared. The fact that it was only her task force made up of members of the are killed by an intimate partner and this
Advertising Sales
second week on the job is no excuse. When someone community, oversight agencies and other percentage is on the rise. In New York City,
Allison Greaker
Michael Slagle starts a new job it should be a no-brainer that they local officials to ensure that the continued most crimes are committed by someone the
Julio Tumbaco should bone up on all things related to the position, demolition of this building was carried out victim knows, and rates of murder and rape
the major obstacles, problems and issues they will in a way that was safe, responsible and, are both on the rise. Yet victims of intimate-
Retail Ad Manager face, before they actually take the helm.  above all, prioritized the concerns of our partner violence rarely become more than a
Colin Gregory When we heard that Ms. Black had never even seen local residents. statistic as the media fails to cover all but the
Eric Greenleaf’s data on the overcrowding crisis cur- I want to thank the members of the com- most sensational of these stories.
Business Manager / Controller rently facing this neighborhood, we were surprised, munity who participated in these discussions All victims of intimate-partner violence
Vera Musa and disappointed. Mr. Greenleaf has spent countless and who expressed their ideas about how to were also sisters, friends, co-workers,
Art / Production Director hours, voluntarily mind you, preparing quantitative make the demolition of the building as safe daughters, mothers and girlfriends, yet not
Troy Masters and qualitative data on the population boom and as possible. all victims have ties to prestigious places and
the obvious need for more Downtown public school Our task force produced positive people. This does not mean they do not war-
Art Director seats. His latest projections show a need for 1,000 results: new safety protocols were adopted rant our attention or our empathy.
Mark Hasselberger additional seats by 2015. for the demolition to minimize the risks The gruesome reality of intimate-partner
Ms. Black said she had Mr. Greenleaf’s data, but to Downtown residents; a Community violence is that it is pervasive in society — but
Graphic Designer
that it was under a stack of papers on her desk. Notification Plan was put into place in order to curb the epidemic, we have to
Jamie Paakkonen
While her performance at last week’s meeting did so that residents will be alerted to emer- first acknowledge that it exists. We need to
Contributors not bode well, it’s still early. Her words and actions gencies in the neighborhood; and those who continue to shed light on all of these egregious
Terese Loeb Kreuzer • David up to this date are not irreversible. Indeed, Ms. Black were most affected by the ongoing work acts, not just the ones with catchy headlines.
Stanke • Jerry Tallmer • is now in the position to lead and to set a new course were given a seat at the table when impor- We need to give voice to all of those who are
Helaina N. Hovitz for the entire Department of Education. tant decisions were made about how the no longer able to do so for themselves.
So far this year two decisions have essentially project was moving forward.
Photographers been made on a unilateral basis by the Department I think most would agree that this demo- Deborah J. Glick
Lorenzo Ciniglio • Milo Hess of Education that show a lack of understanding of lition took far too long and caused far too Glick is assemblymember for the 66th
Corky Lee • J. B. Nicholas • just how serious the overcrowding issue in Lower many problems: from the safety and health District
Jefferson Siegel
Manhattan is. The apparent move to relocate a school concerns raised by falling debris and con-

Published by
from Upper Manhattan to the space in the building
at 26 Broadway and the giving of space in the Tweed
taminated air to the disruption of the side-
walks surrounding the site. Letters policy
Community Media, LLC Courthouse to an untested charter school illustrate But, with the perseverance and dedica- Downtown Express welcomes letters to
145 Sixth Ave., NY, NY 10013 the neglect that has been shown to Downtown’s tion that our Downtown community has The Editor. They must include the writer’s
Phone: (212) 229-1890 plight. shown time and again since 9/11, we man- first and last name, a phone number for
Fax: (212) 229-2790 Ms. Black must now lead the board of the aged to get the demolition completed and confirmation purposes only, and any affilia-
On-line: www.downtownexpress.com Department of Education to address the overcrowd- we now look forward to better days for 130 tion that relates directly to the letter’s subject
E-mail: news@downtownexpress.com ing issue. The population boom in Lower Manhattan Liberty Street and a bright future for all of matter. Downtown Express reserves the right
YOUR FREE
WEEKLY has been one of the great post-9/11 success stories. Lower Manhattan. to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel
Gay City
NEWSPAPER

It is now up to Ms. Black to recognize this and mobi- reasons. Letters should be e-mailed to news@
NEWS

lize the D.O.E. to support this growth. She can start Sheldon Silver DowntownExpress.com or can be mailed to
head
head
head head

T T

by pressing to make sure we see a new school built Speaker of the New York State Assembly 145 Sixth Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10013.
Downtown Express is published every week by on top of the Peck Slip post office. She can con-
Community Media LLC, 145 Sixth Ave., New
York, N.Y. 10013 (212) 229-1890. The entire tinue by taking very seriously the fact that sustaining
contents of the newspaper, including advertising,
headbe reproduced
are copyrighted and no part may more head
Downtown’s post-9/11 residential revival will depend You Saw It...
on planning and building infrastructure that supports
more head

without the express permission of the publisher -

ARTHUR AVILES
more head

© 2010 Community Media LLC.

its population growth.  
You Read It...
PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR
The Publisher shall not be liable for slight We do commend the new Chancellor for at least
changes or typographical errors that do not
lessen the value of an advertisement. The showing up to the meeting. Her predecessor declined
publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions
in connection with an advertisement is strictly
numerous invitations to appear before the task force
during his tenure. And we recognize the need to
And so did thousands
limited to publication of the advertisement in any
subsequent issue.
listen. But Ms. Black has no time to waste, as there
Member of the
New York Press is a long lag time between planning school seats and
Association

Member of the
National
actually having students sit in them.   We’ll give Ms.
Black a pass, at this early juncture, on her words. Her
actions in quickly addressing the dire school situation
of our Readers.
Newspaper
Association
in Lower Manhattan are what count.
  To advertise call 646.452.2496
© 2010 Community Media, LLC
downtown express
talking point
Ellen: The Mama of them all
BY JERRY TALLMER
It must have been at least 30 years
ago that I went to visit Ellen Stewart at
N.Y.U. Hospital. She was all dolled up
in bed in a fancy pink and yellow ruffled
nightgown. “Hello, honey,” she said in
that wonderful, inimitable, sharp-edged,
soft-core Geechee English that now none
of us will ever hear again. “I died twice
since you saw me last.”
Well, three strikes is out— or maybe 53
strikes of terminating illness, all told, since
then. Ellen Stewart, the creator and lifelong
prime mover of Off Off Broadway’s world-
embracing La MaMa E.T.C. (Experimental
Theater Club), departed this Earth late
Wednesday night or early Thursday morn-
ing, January 13, 2011.
She may have been 91. She may have
been more. Ellen wasn’t going to tell you.
The New York Times gives her birth date
as November 7, 1919, her place of birth as
Chicago, her place of death as Beth Israel
Hospital in this city, and says she “spent her
childhood years” between Chicago and the
rather smaller Alexandria, Louisiana, though
I always thought it was the other way round,
Louisiana first — Geechee terrain — then
Chicago.
It was all a sort of mystery, an unwritten
— never-to-be-written — Faulkner novel.
But once — just once — when she was
letting drop a little bit about her days in
Chicago before coming to New York, she
hit me with a sunny little s--t-eating Shirley
Temple smile, and then: “Some people used
to think me pretty, you know.”
Pretty? As my mother would have said,
Cleopatra isn’t in it. Sheer café-au-lait gor-
geous is what Ellen was, and ever more
so as the years went by and the fragility
burned ever brighter. Fragile — but oh my!
Henry James would have had a field day
word-painting it for us, Ellen Stewart’s ever-
increasing incandescence.
This farewell is being written several
days before a Mass for Ellen was to be held
Monday morning January 17, at St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, Fifth Avenue and 50th Street
— a most appropriate locale in the light of
what Ellen, in a profile by me in Thrive, had
recalled a few years ago about her arrival in
New York in 1950 as an unknown would-be
fashion designer.
A cab driver had charged her 50 bucks to
take her from Grand Central Station to the
Hotel Theresa in Harlem, but Fidel Castro,
as it happens, had taken over the whole
Hotel Theresa. Somehow she found another
hotel.
“Monday morning the man on the eleva-
tor told me I could ride all the way down-
town on a bus. Went downtown, looking for
a job, didn’t get it, saw this big church across
the street from a big store. Went into the
church, which was St. Patrick’s Cathedral,
said a prayer, came out and went into the
store, which was Saks Fifth Avenue. I didn’t
know what Saks Fifth Avenue was.”
She soon learned. This was in the days
when Negro employees at such big emporia
Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
were called “coloreds” and, at Saks, were
required to wear blue smocks.
“Sophie Gimbel, who owned the store,
said: ‘No niggers in my department’ — yes.”
Ellen had declared, “she really said that.”
But in the face of such open bigotry at
the top and the envy verging on hatred by
many at the bottom, black as well as white,
black even more than white, slim, stunning
“Miss Ellen” did become one of Saks Fifth
Avenue’s top dress designers of that era.
And not in a blue smock.
Cut to a cold night on MacDougal Street
in the early 1960’s. It is intermission time at
some play or other, and Ellen Stewart, some-
body I barely knew back then, is chatting
on the sidewalk with a tall, skinny, coatless,
not-bad-looking young guy who is hugging
himself for warmth as he hops up and down
on one foot and the other.
“This is one of my chicks,” she says to me
with a laugh. “His name is Sam Shepard.”
It was to provide a nest for all her chicks
that Ellen Stewart had in 1962 opened
a tiny off-off-off coffeehouse theater in a
$50-a-month basement at 321 East Ninth
Street, mostly for the benefit of two fledgling
playwrights, Paul Foster and Fredrick Lights
(the foster brother who’d lived across the
hall from her in Chicago).
‘eighty percent of what is
now considered American
theater originated
at La MaMa.’
— Harvey Fierstein
The first plays ever done on Ninth
Street were Leonard Melfi’s “Lazy Baby
Susan,” Michael Locascio’s “A Corner of the
Morning” and Andy Milligan’s adaptation of
the spooky Tennessee Williams short story
“One Arm.” Even though the audiences usu-
ally ran to no more than 10 or a dozen hardy
souls, Ellen had to shake a miniature cowbell
and quiet them down at the start of every
show with the mantra: “This is La MaMa
E.T.C., dedicated to the playwright and all
aspects of the theater.”
I still have one of those bells.
Harvey Fierstein’s much-quoted “Eighty
percent of what is now considered American
theater originated at La MaMa” may not
be altogether true, but it is true enough.
Nobody knows just how many thousands of
playwrights, composers, directors, design-
ers, techies and, oh yes, actors, have been
hatched at La MaMa over the past half
century, or how many countries around
the globe have in one way or another been
enriched by La MaMa and vice versa. (The
next thing I have to write about in these
pages is an angry new play coming to La
Ellen Stewart
MaMa from Estonia.)
But Ellen was pursued by bigotry even
unto 321 East Ninth Street, a building
dedicated to, in Ellen’s words, “no Jews, no
Hispanics, no niggers.” The word was spread
around the block that she was running a
whorehouse. Finally, to save her landlord
from having his property wrecked, La MaMa
moved out, in the middle of the night, to 82
Second Avenue, and subsequently to a larger
space one flight up over a dry cleaner’s at
122 Second Avenue.
It was there that I caught up with La
MaMa E.T.C. and the wielder of that cow-
bell.
Her troubles were not over. It was a
time when Ed Koch, the mayor, and Robert
Moses, the commissioner of everything, were
cleaning up the Village and East Village.
“They cleaned up on us,” Ellen had dryly
remarked during that profile interview, but
in the end, La MaMa outlasted and outma-
neuvered them by obtaining an impossible-
to-obtain coffeehouse license.
A couple of other hops along St. Mark’s
Place finally led to 74-A East Fourth Street,
thanks to a $25,000 Ford Foundation grant
arranged by a good man named McNeil
Lowry. Most of the $25,000 went toward
installing a whole new roof and rear wall,
but 74-A East Fourth Street remains La
MaMa’s home base from that day to this.
Oh yes, Ellen had her faults, as who does
not? To her, theater was movement and
feeling before all else; she had all too little
respect for the written and printed word.
You never found much Shakespeare going
on at La MaMa; she left that to Joe Papp.
But you could always find a superfluity of
those Old Greeks and their wailing Trojan
Women. Plus everything else.
If Ellen was totally loving she could also
be very angry, and could maintain that anger
for a long time, as she did with me after an
Israeli actress/director I’d befriended turned
out to have used a La MaMa booking to lie
11
her way through Immigration.
I rather think Ellen increasingly liked
being treated, toward the end, as a princess
— no, loved it. But again, who would not?
There’s an incident I wrote about some
years ago, and now I’m never going to have
the opportunity to write about it again, so
here it goes:
In the winter of 1998 there was an exhib-
it at Cooper Union of posters of La MaMa
productions from here, there, everywhere
around the world. I had the bright idea of
walking through the gallery with Ellen while
she told me about this place, that place, this
audience, that audience, whatever… . She
said: “Fine, I’ll meet you at the exhibit.” But
then her son Larry Hovell, out in Green Bay,
Wisconsin, was about to die, and she had to
go be with him.
He took a turn for the better, she returned
to New York, we made a second date to go
through the exhibit; then Larry really did
die. Now, upon her return, we made a third
date to view those posters, this time on the
Saturday afternoon before a Broadway show
I had to cover.
When I got to Cooper Union at the
appointed hour, no Ellen in sight, but a La
MaMa aide was there to apologize and tell
me Ellen was ill.
What kind of ill?
“She’s sitting on that wooden bench just
inside the front door. She’s shivering all over.
She can’t talk.”
Cooper Union is only two blocks from
La MaMa. I covered the ground as fast as
I could. Sure enough, Ellen was sitting, all
huddled up, on that small wooden bench just
to the left of La MaMa’s front door. She was
shivering uncontrollably.
I sat down, put my arm around her, and
suggested we go to a hospital. She shook
her head, No. We sat like that for a long
time, and she never stopped shivering. Of
course there was no way to get her to her
apartment, five flights of stairs over where
we were sitting.
Finally I said: “Look, I’ll cancel the thing
I have to see tonight.”
“No,” Ellen said — found the strength
to say — “You go do your job. I’ll be all
right.”
So I went.
Before the uptown show I called La
MaMa. The woman in the La MaMa box
office said Ellen was still sitting there, still
shivering, just a few feet away. No, Ellen
couldn’t physically get to her feet.
At intermission I phoned again. Same
story. And at close to midnight I called once
more. Nothing had changed.
Around 10 a.m. Sunday I called La
MaMa anew. Was Ellen Stewart still there
on that bench? Could she now get to the
phone?
“Oh no,” said the box-office person,
“Ellen’s over in the Annex, moving the fur-
niture around.”
Dear Old Greeks and Trojan Ladies up
there, please lend Ellen Stewart a hand with
those chairs.
  downtown express
12 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
 BRC cares, amidst cold

 Continued from page 9

the resourcefulness that allows people to
survive this,” Rosenblatt replies. “You
also have to try and make a connection,
to get them to tell you their name, so that
 we see they are Alan, not a homeless guy.
Then we can see what we can do to help
Alan, what Alan needs.”
As we walk, Garzon, a thin, young,
soft-spoken Latino man, tells me that he
has success at this work because talk-
ing to people comes naturally to him.
January 12 will mark two years since
he began doing street outreach. He was
enrolled in a job-training program when
he was referred to BRC and has been
working with them ever since, walking up
and down the avenues, engaging clients
who may need housing, detox or other
‘Some people
refuse services’
— Francis Garzon
programs they provide. Although most
people are friendly, not all take advantage
of the help he offers.
“Some people refuse services,” said
Garzon. “I guess they’ve been out here
too long so they’re already accustomed
to living on the streets. Plenty of times,
clients just get accustomed to street life,
and they just don’t go nowhere. I have
many clients that have been out here since
I started working here, who are still on
the street. That’s how they survive; their
daily routine on the street is what they’re
accustomed to.”
Garzon is often paired up with Poirier,
a slightly older, bearded man with a
friendly smile. Poirier tells me he has
been doing outreach for just under two
years. He was working in advertising
when he saw two men in BRC coats on
the subway engaging a homeless man in
conversation.
“I looked them up on the Internet that
night, liked what I saw and started volun-
teering,” said Poirier. “I met Alvin our direc-
tor, one thing led to another, he hired me as
an outreach worker, and here I am.”
Poirier said he and Garzon reach out
to between 200-300 people a month and
             
end up providing services to about eight
of those people. When asked how he
manages to make a connection with the

homeless, mentally ill drug addicts he

 encounters on a daily basis, Poirier said,
  “The trick is to getting people to talk to

  you. It’s about trust.”

  “The initial opening has to be really
 strong,” he said. “It’s just about figuring out
what will get them to have a conversation
 with you; it doesn’t necessarily have to be
about services right away. Once you engage
with them and they start to see you as a
human being and not an outreach worker,
then you can start to have a conversa-
tion about some of the things we can help
them with, about which programs might fit
them.”
Poirier notices a man sitting alone on
a park bench, so we double back. Garzon
speaks to him in Spanish, and he is friendly,
but says he doesn’t need help. When asked if
he would be willing to share his story with a
reporter, the man replies that he is too busy.
We say adios, and move on. We walk outside
the park and around the block and encoun-
ter another man sitting on a park bench. He
is not homeless, he says, indignantly.
“We definitely have regulars, people who
are not ready to go into services yet, who
need more time, or people who we are in
the process of finding the proper situation
for,” said Poirier, as we jump in the BRC van
and head toward Chelsea Park to meet with
one of these regulars who may be ready to
access help.
On the way, we stop at Fifth Avenue and
29th Street, where an African-American
man lies splayed out on the sidewalk across
from the Marble Collegiate Church. Poirier
kneels close to him as he gently shakes him
awake. They talk, and the man says his name
is Gerald, that he is from Pennsylvania and
has been in the city for a year. Poirier asks
Gerald, whose hands and feet are swollen
from the cold, if he has a place to stay, and if
he has been using today. No, he replies, and
explains that he doesn’t like the shelters he
has been in.
“Most clients have different stories about
the shelters, like fights happen, or some
clients get robbed of their clothing, so they
don’t really like the shelter. They consider it
a jail almost,” said Garzon. “So that’s where
we come in. We have our own programs.
We have safe haven programs, transitional
housing, and then they move on to perma-
nent housing. There is the crisis center for
detox and a reception center for people with
mental illness. The BRC shelters are better;
there are no fights or stealing.”
Rosenblatt is sensitive to the man’s
situation, saying, “What if someone came
into your house and woke you up?”
Although it seems as though the man
could benefit from detox, he takes a card,
and we leave him. When we drive by the
corner later in the evening, he is gone.
The guys know, as does Rosenblatt, that
you can’t force someone to get the help
they may need.
We continue on to Chelsea Park at
Tenth Avenue and 27th Street, on the
west side. It is colder here, so close to the
river, and as an elementary school track
team circles the perimeter of the park,
Garzon approaches a potential client with
whom he made an appointment to meet
that afternoon.
As Poirier parks the van, he explains that
they have spoken with the man four or five
times already, and that they believe he may
be ready to get help. But as we join Garzon,
Continued on page 17
downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 13

BY Janel Bladow  kind Wendy would appreciate: people gath-
The pages of the New Year book begin
with memories of the past…  Russ and Daughters and Zabar’s, sharing
A Star is Gone… Sparkling, smiling
Wendy Stewart left us on Wednesday, Dec.
15, surrounded by loved ones including her
sister holding one hand while her husband
Joel Greenberg held the other. She was
showered with “I love yous” and kisses and
continued to touch people even after she
was gone.
Wendy, 58, who worked side-by-side
with her Joel as an excellent family and
wedding videographer-photographer team,
became ill last January, when her liver
began to fail. As she grew sicker, Joel says,
she kept a smile on her face, and dur-
ing the last five and a half weeks in NYU
Hospital, she thanked the staff and hugged
the nurses.
Friends and family gathered for a memo-
rial service at Brotherhood Synagogue in
Gramercy Park on Sunday, Jan. 9 where
many shared loving, touching memories of
Wendy’s lively spirit. The next two nights
more people dropped by their home on
Water Street to sit Shiva with Joel, his sister
Janet and her husband Marty Kaplan and
celebrate Wendy’s life. The evening was the
S eaport R eport
ered around platters of delicious food from
stories and enjoying her prized collection of
1950s straw handbags, many by the famous
Midas of Miami.  plot in New York, the Stewart family one in
It was wonderful to share memories
and see photos of the lovely young Wendy
in Rome and the beaming couple on their
wedding day.
What was particularly saddening is
that Wendy’s life might have been saved.
November 2010, when Wendy went into
the hospital for the last time, was the
worst month in 15 years to need a liver
transplant – none were available. Yet
Wendy in death continued her giving as
she did in life. She donated her eyes so that
someone else could see.
Joel shared in an email: “Her most pre-
cious joy in life was in the act of giving and
her generosity in life is now extended in
death. I was so lucky to be the recipient of
all that love and all that giving. I had my
own personal Santa Claus, full time.”
Two more memorial services are
planned: one in her childhood hometown
of Tiverton, Rhode Island at Amicable
Church this weekend, and another in her
adopted summer home, Vinalhaven, Maine
in August.
Over the summer, Wendy said she want-
ed to be buried in the places that made her
happy, with people she cherished. Her ashes
will be split between the Greenberg family
Rhode Island and in Maine.
“She had a full, loving life,” Joel told
Seaport Report. “I’m lucky to be surround-
ed by great friends and love.”  ering with illustrious guests such as Marion
Doggone… Another creature of regal
bearing of Water Street who also brought
smiles and joy to everyone he met passed
away five days earlier. Omar, the beloved
Basenji boy of Marckle Myers and David
Richter died of cirrhosis of the liver on
Dec. 10, 15 days before the Christmas
boy’s seventh birthday. Anyone who lived
in or frequented the Seaport would rec-
ognize that imperial curlicue tail with its
snowy white tip, especially between Water
Street where he lived, Meade’s where
he enjoyed a refreshing moment or two,
Salty Paw where he relished tormenting
the pooches behind the window in doggie
daycare and Fetch Club spa and nightclub
on South Street where he discovered the
most delicious free snacks. The little dog
with a lot of personality even has his own
Facebook page where tributes are still
coming in.  
Holiday Glitz…  On a festive note,
however, another long-time Water Street
resident, the noble Harold Reed, opened his
lovely home to friends, family neighbors and
colleagues for his annual celebration. The
between the holidays party was a lively gath-
Javits and Councilwoman Margaret Chin.
While Lincoln Palsgrove who moves on from
the Seaport shared the excitement of his new
position at General Growth Properties, the
parents of actor Barrett Foa who plays com-
puter nerd Eric Beale on NCIS: Los Angeles
talked about their son’s success on the other
coast and the graciousness of the show’s
leads: LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell.
Between sips of champagne, guests nibbled
on delectable bites of steak, crab cakes and
more from Table Tales caterers across the
street.  
Red Carpet Worthy… And Seaport’s
own Katrina Szish is now featured contribu-
tor to CBS’s the Early Show. Earlier this
week her smile lit up our morning TV as she
gave her Golden Globes red carpet wrap-up
with stylist Robert Verdi.  

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14 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 downtown express

Cunard celebrates in New York

BY Terese Loeb Kreuzer
The Battery Park City esplanade at Wagner Park was
deserted at 6 a.m. on January 13, except for an occasional
jogger. The river was inky black. Behind Governors Island
and looming above it, Cunard’s flagship, Queen Mary 2,
sat waiting for Cunard’s two other vessels, Queen Victoria
and Queen Elizabeth. The announced arrival time had been
6:30 a.m., but there was no sign of them.
The morning star glittered above Pier A and a strong
tide flowed toward the sea. By 6:45 a.m., the eastern sky
glowed red as ferries, sparkling like crystal, plied the chan-
nel between Manhattan and Staten Island. After an hour, it
was too cold to watch any longer — a good thing because
the wait was futile. Quietly, Queen Victoria and Queen
Elizabeth had arrived around 5 a.m. and were already in
their berths at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
The planning, launch and introduction of a cruise ship
represents a significant investment for a cruise line. Queen
Elizabeth, built in Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard at
a cost of approximately $634 million and launched in
October 2010 was making her maiden call on New York
City; despite her quiet arrival, the fanfare had been tre-
mendous.
That afternoon, after the ship’s passengers had been off-load-
ed and the vessel cleaned, travel agents and media were invited
to board for a tour preceded by a press conference. Executives
from Cruise Line International Association announced that the
cruise industry was healthy and growing, with New York City
getting a significant share of the revenue.
In New York City, cruise passengers and crew spent an
estimated $144.6 million in 2010, up from $93.8 million
spent in 2009, Seth Pinsky, president of the New York City
Economic Development Corporation, said at the press con-
ference. Most of the passengers who embarked on a cruise
in New York City came from outside the tri-state area and Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

spent millions of dollars in pre and post-cruise stays, said The atrium of Cunard’s newest ship, “Queen Elizabeth,” includes a large wooden, inlaid panel depicting the original
Pinsky. Cunard “Queen Elizabeth.”
To encourage and capitalize on this spending, George
Fertitta, chief executive officer of NYC & Company,
the city’s tourism arm, said that NYC & Company had
launched a cruise site at www.nycgo.com/cruisenyc to pro-
vide cruise ship travelers with information on events and
city itineraries.
The site’s suggested itinerary for people with one day to
spend in New York City includes a visit to Lower Manhattan
beginning with a stop at City Hall to admire “the beautiful
architecture” and the nearby Brooklyn Bridge. Then NYC
& Company suggests that visitors walk down to Federal
Hall National Memorial at Broad and Nassau Streets, end-
ing the afternoon with a visit to the South Street Seaport
for its waterfront views, shopping, dining and Seaport
Museum.
These statistics and enthusiasm for Lower Manhattan
might be good news for downtown businesses. However,
among the Cunard ships, though Queen Elizabeth was the
star of the January 13 “Royal Rendezvous,” she will not
return to New York City very often. Queen Mary 2, on the
other hand, is a frequent visitor, transporting thousands of
passengers every year between Southampton, England and
New York City.
That night, the three Cunard ships assembled by the
Statue of Liberty for fireworks before they headed south
to Florida and the Caribbean. The bitterly cold night might
have dampened pleasure in the proceedings for some, but
not for anyone whose focus was on the revenue that cruise
ship tourists could bestow on the city. 
As for Cunard, though the cruise industry is growing,
the company has no immediate plans to build another
ship. “Queen Elizabeth represents a 40 percent increase in
capacity,” said Richard Curtis, a Cunard marketing execu-
tive. He said that if the Cunard ships were mostly full most
of the time, the company might go forward, but at the earli- On Jan. 13, all three Cunard ships, “Queen Mary 2,” “Queen Victoria” and “Queen Elizabeth,” assembled for a
est, that would be several years down the road. fireworks celebration near the Statue of Liberty. 
downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 15

Merchants River House now open

BY Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day may have
been a holiday for some, but it certainly
was not for Abraham Merchant, his wife,
Lyn, and the employees of Merchants River
House. On January 17, with less than three
hours to go before opening to the public,
they were putting the finishing touches on
the Battery Park City restaurant formerly
known as Steamers Landing.
Some people applied decals to mirrors
to give them an old-fashioned look, others
swabbed the newly finished floors, now a
dark brown. A few wayward strips of blue-
and-white striped wallpaper were applied in
places previously overlooked.
In the kitchen, Chef Wade Burch was
putting something into the ovens, and said,
“Yes,” there would be food on the table
when the restaurant opened at 5 p.m.
Abraham Merchant supervised, answered
questions and said he was feeling calm. “For
a restaurant opening, this is going well,”
he said. He has had plenty of experience.
Merchants Hospitality now has eight res-
taurants in Manhattan, including SouthWest
NY at 2 World Financial Center, Merchants
Café at 90 Greenwich St. and Pound &
Pence at 55 Liberty St.
The changes at Merchants River House
are more than cosmetic. Though the res- Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

taurant on the Battery Park City esplanade
between Albany and Liberty Streets has
knockout river views, Merchant decided that
the seafood menu served when the restau-
rant was called Steamers Landing had run
its course. The new menu is more varied,
simpler and less expensive.
With an estimated five million tour-
ists a year due in the neighborhood after
the National September 11 Memorial and
Museum opens, Merchant was thinking about
what the visitors might like and what they
could afford. Of course, he was also thinking
about what locals would like and could afford
on more than an occasional basis.
The new menu is plain vanilla American
with a few exotic touches. But seafood is not
totally absent. House-cured gravlax is among
With less than three hours to go before opening Merchants River House, employees and workers were still putting finishing
touches on the Battery Park City restaurant formerly known as Steamers Landing. (Owner Abraham Merchant was behind the
bar.)
the starters and grilled North Atlantic salm-
on is served as an entrée.
A beverage menu features bottled and
draft beer, wine by the bottle, glass or carafe,
cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
A menu for kids with kid-sized por-
tions includes pasta, pizza, mac and cheese,
chicken fingers, grilled cheese sandwiches
and burgers.
Merchants River House will be open
daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday
to Friday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on
weekends. For more information call (212)
432-1451.

We are thrilled to announce the recent launch of our

state-of-the-art Video Web Site, which can be viewed at

tribecasmiles.com

CALL 212.473.4444
44 LISPENARD ST.
NY, NY 10013
Desserts at Merchants River House include a chocolate blackout cupcake made with
Valrhona chocolate.
16
BY Terese Loeb Kreuzer
 
Mah Jongg Tournament : After
a run of 10 months, the Museum of Jewish
Heritage’s wildly popular exhibit “Project Mah
Jongg” will close on February 27, but not
before the museum at 36 Battery Place stages
a Mah Jongg Marathon. The event on February
6 from noon to 6 p.m. will be a fundraiser for
the museum, with a registration fee of $25 per
person. In addition to entrance fees, registrants
are encouraged to sign up sponsors who will
make a donation to the museum in the name of
each player. There will be tables for people of all
levels of Mah Jongg proficiency, from beginners
to “lifers,” plus what the museum describes as
“special theme hours, prizes and the chance
to play a hand or two with some very special
guests.”   For more about the tournament, go
to www.projectmahjongg.com/programs.html.
The use of Mah Jongg to raise money for
charitable purposes has a long-standing his-
tory. The game originated in 19th-century
China and first became popular in the United
States in the 1920’s, thanks to Harper Brothers
and the Mah-Jongg Company of America. “It
was marketed to all Americans,” said Melissa
Martines, curator of the “Project Mah Jongg”
exhibit, “but those who adopted it first were
leisure-class ladies who had disposable time
and income. One of the ways the game was
Dear Transit Sam,
I am sending this note to thank you on  intervals. I’ve used the new stop several
behalf of the community members on the
Lower East Side who encouraged me to
contact you for help in getting the M21 bus
to stop near the entrance to the Broadway/
Lafayette subway station. Before the instal-
lation of the new bus stop near Houston St.
and Broadway, the M21 would instead stop
two blocks away at Mott or Greene streets
heading in the westbound direction. It took
six months, but the mission of getting a new
bus stop was finally  accomplished thanks
largely to the efforts of yourself and Council
Member Margaret Chin’s staff. I also offer
special thanks for keeping us abreast of
Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
used right away after its introduction into
New York society was as entertainment for
charitable events and for groups of women.
In the Jewish community, some of the most
likely constellations of players would have
been synagogue sisterhoods that were raising
money for a good cause, plus those who were
in similar neighborhoods and those who vaca-
tioned together.”
Martines said that in the Jewish commu-
nity, German-Jewish women were the first
to adopt the game followed by Jewish immi-
grants from Eastern Europe, who took up
Mah Jongg with great enthusiasm. “In the
Catskills, it was the perfect game for bunga-
low life because those environments were all
inclusive,” she observed. “A lot of the men
came only for weekends, so the women and
children were left there during the week. The
women played Mah Jongg outdoors while
they watched the kids.”
The Museum of Jewish Heritage’s Mah
Jongg exhibit includes Mah Jongg sets and
instructions, historic photographs of peo-
ple playing Mah Jongg from the Library of
Congress and from personal collections, art
work, Mah Jongg memorabilia and “sound-
scapes” — oral histories of the game and
recordings of people playing it, including some
from a Senior Citizen center in Chinatown.
Though not large, the exhibit has attracted
developments and following up at frequent
times and really appreciate what a difference
it makes, especially with all the snow we’ve
had the past few weeks.
Mel, Lower East Side
Dear Mel,
Your welcome and thank you as well for
the great suggestion! Your rationale made
complete sense, and it was an added incen-
tive to use mass transit. I’m glad you’re
enjoying the new stop.
Transit Sam
In connection with its exhibit, “Project Mah Jongg,” the Museum of Jewish Heritage
is sponsoring a fund-raising Mah Jongg tournament on Feb. 6, with the proceeds to
benefit the museum.
interest from people all over the country,
Martines said. “They contacted us because the
game of Mah Jongg means so much to them
personally. Mah Jongg is a lot about memory,
it’s a lot about personal experience, it’s a lot
about connecting to your mother or to past
generations, to the traditions of your family,
it’s a lot about remembering the people you
used to play with and it’s also about learning
and sharing and socializing and gossiping.
You feel the ivory or the bakelite tiles, you
hear them clicking and you remember.”
 
StoryTime by Design: 1 Rector
Park (formerly known as 333 Rector Place),
a rental to condo conversion with 173
apartments, has a charming playroom that
is mostly unused because no one has yet
moved into the 16-story building. But on
Sunday, January 23 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.,
StoryTime by Design will be in the play-
room, entertaining children from 2 to 8
years with a dinosaur-themed storytelling
hour, including real fossils.  The free event
Transit Sam
The Answer man
Dear Transit Sam,
I heard that if you use a New Jersey E-Z
Pass at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, you do
not get the discount. In other words, a New
York E-Z Pass pays $4.80 but an NJ E-Z Pass
pays $6.50. Is this correct?
U.C., Battery Park City
Dear U.C.
Yes. If you register your E-Z Pass
with the NJ Turnpike Authority (which
includes the Garden State Parkway) you
won’t receive the MTA discount. But, if
you register your E-Z Pass with the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey,
downtown express
Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer
is open to the public.  Refreshments will be
provided.  RSVP by sending an email to: sto-
rytimebydesign@hwpr.com
According to a spokesman for the build-
ing, 30 percent of the building’s 173 apart-
ments have been sold since the sales office
opened in early August and move-ins should
begin next month.
 
Valentine’s Day Cruise: Don’t miss
the boat! Sure, it’s still January, but it’s not
too early to make Valentine’s Day plans. You
can treat your sweetie to a Valentine’s Day
cruise of New York harbor aboard Statue
Cruises’ John J. Audubon. The two-hour
cruise features a live jazz band and an assort-
ment of gourmet desserts accompanied by
beer, wine, soda, cordials and dessert mar-
tinis. The cost is $85 per person. The boat
leaves at 8:30 p.m. from Liberty State Park
and at 9 p.m. from Battery Park, gangway
3. Reserve by calling (877) LADY TIX. For
more information, go to  http://www.statu-
ecruises.com/pd_valentines.html.
you’re eligible for the discount on all
MTA facilities (for major crossings, it’s
$4.80 instead of $6.50). The other agen-
cies that you can register your E-Z Pass
with (whether you live in NY or NJ) to
receive the MTA discount includes the
MTA, the New York Thruway Authority
and the New York State Bridge Authority.
You can register your E-Z Pass wherever
you like but you must call the service
center since the online system signs you
up according to zip code. The number is
1-888-288-6865. You can have more than
one E-Z Pass and you should register it
wherever you are going to drive most
frequently.
announce the opening of
downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 17

BRC outreach efforts bring homeless in from cold

Continued from page 12
the man, who stands next to a large suitcase,
balks, telling the outreach workers that he
“We provide them with information on the
requirements for the programs, to see if they’re
eligible,” Poirier explained. “Every client we
engage might be eligible for different things.
You just have to make a connection with them,
and later said he was staying at a program in
Ward’s Island.
Around the corner, we stop to speak with
an older white woman, who sits with her bags
in front of a bodega. Poirier and Garzon say
becomes irate.
Garzon introduces himself and asks the
man if he needs help. “Why don’t you leave
me alone?” the man replied. “You’re always
out here, everyone hates you! Your organiza-

has major depression, but doesn’t want to
be around other mentally ill people. He says
he has spoken with another agency and will
wait to see if they can help him. We say
goodbye, and the guys make a note to ask
another worker, with whom the man is more
familiar, to check in with him in a few days.  themselves and often have a place to live. It
“We provide them with
information on the
get them to start talking and determine which
client is appropriate for which program.”
We roll around the corner, and Poirier and
Garzon stop to talk with a woman pulling
cans out of the trash. These “canners,” they
explain, are usually better able to take care of
is rumored that one canner in Chinatown put
her child through college via recycling.  People living on the street face myriad
As we sit in front of the Urban Pathways
drop-in center — a Department of Homeless
Services program — a woman approaches the
van. She came up from Kentucky a year ago,
Julius S
they have approached her in the past, and
she is unwilling to engage in conversation.
She declines to speak to us. Next to her bags
stands a box of hand-painted pictures. In
‘If it’s severe distress — an
emergency — call 911.’
— Dennis Poirier
tion is so bad! Nobody wants you here! I hope
you go out of business this year!” he raged.
Garzon’s face remains calm. Letting the
man know BRC is here if he needs to access
services, Garzon returns to the van. After
three hours riding along with the outreach
workers, I have a good idea of the challenges
that face them.
challenges, from poverty and substance abuse
to mental illness. Poirier said that help could
come from many different routes. “Some
people give a homeless person the info and

PHYS
she says, and things didn’t work out. Now she have them call, and others call BRC to let
requirements for the wants to return, to stay with her sister. She them know a person in need is out there.”

Julius Shulman MD & Da

has been waiting three weeks for her request an effort to start a conversation, Rosenblatt “If it’s severe distress — an emergency
programs to be processed. Can BRC help? Poirier offers to buy one of the paintings, which — call 911,” he said. “But if you see a guy

— Dennis Poirier
“He may be playing mom against dad,”
Rosenblatt said, explaining that he may also
be telling other agencies he is waiting to see
if BRC can help him. “But we don’t want to
take him some place that won’t be good for
him.”
explains that only DHS can provide bus tick-
ets to people who want to return to their state
of origin. He apologizes, but encourages her
to be patient: her ticket will come through.
Back on the road, we cruise west down
23rd Street, stopping when the guys notice
a woman with whom they have spoken in
the past. She is unreceptive to their offers of
help, but an older gentleman perched on a
standpipe smoking a cigarette takes a card.
The guys tell me he asked them for change,
an
appear to be on sale for $2 apiece. She gives
him the fish-eye as she informs him that the
cost is not $2, but $20. Stymied, we get back
announce the opening of ou
in the van and drive away.
Rosenblatt directs Poirier to drive around
the block to find an older white man he often
sees by Gray’s Papaya, and we soon find him
leaning against a storefront, his shopping
cart of possessions ten feet away. The guys
know this man, and Garzon warns me as
we approach him that the man sometimes
in a regular spot, call and we can try to help
them. Sometimes we go out there, and they
have some very choice words for us, which
is cool, it’s okay. But it is absolutely worth
the time to call, because that’s our job. It is
certainly part of what we do. Even though
Francis and I spend a certain amount of time
in our zone or area, that doesn’t mean we’re
not going to miss a spot. So if you call it in,
there’s a good chance we’re going to be able
to help that person.”

Julius Shulman MD & Dalia S. Nagel MD

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18 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 downtown express

Photos by Clayton Patterson

A final farewell to FA-Q

Artist Kevin Wendall, known as FA-Q (pro-

clayton’s page nounced, “fack you”), left, died Nov. 15 at

age 55. From Cleveland, he was active in
the 1980’s East Village squatter scene on E. 11th St. Two years ago, FA-Q went in
for surgery for a pituitary tumor, and was supposed to come home in three days and
be on one-month’s bed rest. Instead, there were many post-surgical complications,
and he spent the last year hospitalized. Not everyone knew FA-Q had kids. His two
children, Jessica Wendall Bohach, above right, and Brooks Wendall, left, were recently
at Gallery onetwentyeight on Rivington St. on the Lower East Side, where a memorial
art show DOWNTOWNEXPRESSPDF!-
was held for FA-Q, featuring his artwork on the walls. A third child, Angel
Louise, died of crib death.

#-

-9

#9

#-9

Kahn_CommMediaAd3-2010.pdf 3/5/10 7:12:17 PM

downtown express
Lawsuit says Mayor’s office was in the wrong
Continued from page 3
es.
Both facts indicate that the Park51
group is attempting to move ahead with
the project “as quickly as possible,” the
complaint argues.
“If the buildings are demolished, our
case becomes moot,” said Joshpe. “We
want to make sure they’re preserved in the
interim.”
The complaint requests that the court
nullify the L.P.C.’s decision, which Brown
considers to be a breach of administrative
law. It states that the L.P.C.’s decision was
“subject to undue influence from various
parties,” particularly the mayor’s office.
The N.Y.C. Law Department, represent-
ing the mayor, contends that the L.P.C.
acted by the rules, and that the latest alle-
gations are “simply an attempt to  divert
attention from the  fact that the lawsuit is
baseless.”
Larry Kopp, a spokesperson for SoHo
Properties, denied that the developer has
immediate plans to take down the build-
ings. The project still has a long way to
go, he noted, and demolition is still two or
three years away.
The complaint also demands further
disclosure of the mayor’s offices’ correspon-
dences with the Park51 organizers, which
Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
Mayor Bloomberg
uncover involvement in a process that was
still before the L.P.C., thereby thwarting
its impartial and fair administration of the
City’s landmark laws.
It accuses the mayor’s office of a near-
ly five-month delay in responding to a
Freedom of Information Act request the
A.C.L.J. filed last summer.
E-mail exchanges the mayor’s office
finally released in late December revealed
that the mayor helped shape Park51’s public
relations strategy. One, in particular, men-
tions that L.P.C. chairman Robert Tierney
looked forward to getting “political cover”
the mayor’s support of the project would
afford him.
Stu Loeser, a spokesperson for the mayor,
said that this type of interaction with a cul-
tural or religious group is standard prac-
tice. But Joshpe said this is an exceptional
circumstance, since the L.P.C. hearing took
place around the same time the mayor was
in contact with the Park51 organizers.
In response to the initial complaint, the
mayor’s office claimed exemptions from
unwarranted invasion of privacy and for
intra-agency and inter-agency materials.
Julie Menin, the chairwoman of
Community Board 1 and an attorney, said
she doesn’t believe the L.P.C. decision
was tainted by the mayor’s backing of the
project.
“The mayor spoke about the project’s
use, and L.P.C. was focused on the narrow
issue of whether or not the building rose to
the level of a landmark,” said Menin.
She and others pointed out that, even
if the L.P.C. had landmarked the building,
it would not have affected the use of the
buildings.
A news advisory put out by the A.C.L.J.
19
contrarily states the demolition would need
to take place in order to develop the
“Ground Zero mosque.” Joshpe, however,
acknowledged in a phone interview SoHo
Properties’ right to decide on the use of the
buildings, whether or not they are taken
down.
“The Mayor spoke about
the project’s use, and
L.P.C. was focused on the
narrow issue of whether or
not the building rose to the
level of a landmark.”
— Julie Menin
He said Brown doesn’t have plans to
legally contest the future Muslim prayer
space, though there are “other potential
legal remedies at our disposal,” without
commenting further.
“This is not so much about sensitivity,”
Joshpe said, “as it is about administrative
law.”
20
Re-branding a controversial project
Continued from page 1
texts, according to a biography provided by Park51.
The biography states that Adhami’s works “strive to
relate the eternal relevance of the essence of shari’ah laws as
a vehicle to enhance modern lived experience.” Shari’ah law
is the fundamental religious tenet of Islam.
Adhami is also founder and chairman of Sakeenah, a
New York-based nonprofit that teaches Muslims and non-
Muslims about Islamic culture and traditions as well as
promoting community service.
Kopp said Park51 will be announcing the other religious
leaders in the coming weeks, and will announce the board’s
executive director by the end of the month.
Tensions grow between Park51 developer
and religious visionary
Tensions between El-Gamal and Rauf have reportedly been
growing as the two gradually formed separate visions for the
project, including ideas about its size and character.
Rauf’s wife, Daisy Khan, co-founder and executive director
of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, presented
Park51 as the Cordoba Initiative to C.B. 1 last spring. El-Gamal,
however, ultimately has the upper hand as the developer and self-
proclaimed brainchild of the project.
He is now attempting to distinguish Park51, the nonprofit
entity that will be responsible for devising the cultural and reli-
gious programming of the proposed Islamic community center,
from the Cordoba Movement, Rauf’s message of interfaith dia-
logue and peace.
“While Imam Feisal’s vision has a global scope and his ideals
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for the Cordoba movement are truly exceptional, our community
in Lower Manhattan is local,” El-Gamal said in a statement.
Neither Feisal nor Khan will continue to speak on behalf of
Park51, nor will they partake in the fundraising efforts of the
project, according to El-Gamal.
“The Imam is involved in much
bigger, broader issues, like healing
divide and interfaith coalition.”
— Leyla Turkkan
It seems that Rauf was left out of the decision-making process
amid these new developments. His spokesperson, Leyla Turkkan,
said he isn’t even acquainted with Adhami, did not have a say
in his appointment and was not notified of El-Gamal’s decision
prior to the developer’s public announcement.
One source who requested anonymity said that, though their
personal relationship is profound, the business relationship
between Rauf and El-Gamal has recently been strained.
Rauf wasn’t available for comment as of press time. Turkkan
said Rauf acknowledged, though, that the mosque at 49-51 Park
Place — now called “Park51,” according to Kopp — must con-
tinue its day-to-day operations in his absence.
“The Imam is involved in much bigger, broader issues, like
healing divide and interfaith coalition,” said Turkkan.
How large a role he will play in running Park51’s prayers
and interfaith programs once the project is completed is yet to
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downtown express
be determined.
Rauf played a very influential role in El-Gamal’s personal life,
leading him to the discovery of his faith and spiritual identity,
according to Kopp. Rauf married El-Gamal to his wife, Rebekah,
and was his mentor for almost 10 years.
Other new Park51 developments
Park51 will open a multicultural art exhibit space on part
of the building’s first floor in the spring. Kopp said the space,
now vacant, will also be available for public use until the
building comes down in a few years’ time.
The Park51 group also gave its website, Park51.org, a
makeover, in hopes of revamping the project’s image and
dispelling the myths about the proposed Islamic community
center.
Redoing the site, Kopp explained, was a cost-effective
way of promoting the project and its mission. “Park51
doesn’t have a desk, or a phone yet. It’s an easy thing to start
the ball rolling on,” he said.
The group, meanwhile, is on the verge of achieving non-
profit status. It sent in its letter of determination to the U.S.
Internal Revenue Service in mid-December, which Kopp
suspects will be processed by the spring.
“It’d be pretty tough to not get [nonprofit status],” said
Kopp.
The government, he said, doesn’t typically deny it to
groups unless they have a proven history of malfeasance.
In the meantime, Kopp said El-Gamal is already starting
to accrue financing from banks for the center’s construction,
a process that will take a couple years.
The community center won’t be ready to open its doors
until eight to 11 years from now, according to Kopp.
downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 21

Black’s appearance less than stellar

Continued from page 1

city’s children are being educated and have

the tools to learn — not judge the reproduc-
tive choices of women in our city.”
Overcrowding, Ferreras continued, is not
a joke to the children and parents in her dis-
trict who are also dealing with the issue.
D.O.E. Communications Director
Natalie Ravitz said in a statement that the
chancellor takes the issue of overcrowd-
ing “very seriously, which is why she
was engaged in a discussion with Lower
Manhattan parents on the subject.”
“[Black] regrets if she left a different
impression by making an off-handed joke
in the course of that conversation,” said
Ravitz.
Julie Menin, chair of Community Board
1, said she was “troubled” by Black’s
overall feedback, which she considered
to be “glib” in that Black didn’t identify
plans to combat “the very serious issue of
school overcrowding.”
The chancellor made another verbal
slip in describing the D.O.E.’s rough
financial terrain she is trying to navigate
as chancellor.
“I don’t mean this in any [flippant] way,”
she told the task force, “but [there are] many
Sophie’s choices.”
Her comment was an allusion to the story
of Sophie Zawistowski, a survivor of the
Nazi concentration camps, who was forced
to choose which of her two children would
live and which would die.
Moore and others deemed it a poor anal-
ogy. There are a number of other parallels
she could have drawn, Moore said. The one
that Black went with was in his opinion,
“overly dramatic, and probably a little dis-
tasteful.”
Menin was upset with the chancellor’s
quip.
“Cracking jokes and telling Downtown
parents, even in jest, to use more birth con-
trol, and referring to the [D.O.E.’s] choices
as a ‘Sophie’s choice’ did not demonstrate
a real and concrete, on-the-ground under-
standing of what parents face,” Menin wrote
in an e-mail.
“[The D.O.E.] has already made Sophie’s
choices,” Schiller said. “They’ve already
made clear we’re going to have a segregated
system,” insofar as separating out kids by
performance level.
In contrast, Silver, who led the task force
meeting, was satisfied with Black’s perfor-
mance. In a written statement, he said he
was pleased that Black attended the meet-
ing and was able to hear first-hand from
parents.
“Jokes aside,” said Silver, “I think she real-
ly heard the message that Lower Manhattan
schools are in the midst of an overcrowd-
ing crisis, and I am hopeful we can work
together to find a solution.”
Tamara Rowe, a parent of a Millennium
High School student and a member of
the task force, felt cautiously optimistic
about Black’s attempt to forge ties with the
Downtown education community.
Cathie Black (left) and Julie Menin (right) at last week’s overcrowding task force meeting where Black made a less than stellar
first impression.
She, like many task force members,
appreciated Black’s appearance at the meet-
ing, pointing out that former chancellor Joel
Klein never even attended one of Silver’s
task force meetings in the two-and-a-half
years of its existence while he was chancel-
lor. But Rowe doubts Black’s willingness to
change things.
“I think she’s trying to listen,” said Rowe.
“I think I won’t know what it really means
until I see the results.”
During the meeting, Menin and other
task force members disparaged the D.O.E.
for not implementing a long-term strategy
to relieve overcrowding. “Everything is done
piecemeal,” Menin told Black.
The search for more classroom space
now, instead of before, when overcrowding
was less widespread, is an “absolutely back-
wards way of doing it,” according to Menin.
Lack of foresight
Members of the task force discussed the
lack of foresight the D.O.E. has recently
exhibited in accommodating Downtown
school children. Several members voiced
their concerns about the designation of the
26 Broadway site to an unscreened high
school and the giving of empty classroom
space in the Tweed Courthouse to an untest-
ed charter school.
Black, in her second week on the job, said
she has “no gigantic new vision.”
She said she anticipates there to be
“tough sledding” in deciding how to allocate
the limited sum the D.O.E. will receive in
the coming fiscal year. The state is set to
release a preliminary version of the 2011-12
budget on February 1.
Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds
“Trying to balance all the competing forc- expected that,” he said. What the task force
es is not easy at all,” Black said. “It’s clear is most interested in, he added, is her actions
that your needs are great, and we’ll try to moving forward in securing more public
deal with them as well as we possibly can.” school seats Downtown.
And while task force members were Beyond her seeming receptiveness to par-
pleased with her presence at the meeting, ents’ concerns, “I didn’t get a lot of comfort
many walked away feeling skeptical or dis- that anything else was going to change,” said
couraged by her plans — or lack thereof — Somerville, a P.S. 276 parent.
for Lower Manhattan public schools. Moore was also unimpressed with Black’s
According to task force member Shino lack of urgency as it pertained to the over-
Tanikawa, also a member of Community crowding issue.
Education Council District 2, the chancel- “We were hoping for a little bit more
lor doesn’t seem to have a vision for public of an acknowledgement from her,” said
schools at all. Moore.
“It’s time for her to think about what her Black’s response to parents’ concerns,
priorities are for the city,” said Tanikawa. Moore added, “gave everyone the impression
“You have to do planning. There’s no excuse that she wasn’t going to change any of the
for it.” plans in front of us right now.”
In Greenleaf’s opinion, Black focused on The next School Overcrowding Task Force
listening, rather than commenting. “She was meeting is scheduled for Friday, February 4,
clearly being very, very cautious. I think we at Silver’s office at 250 Broadway.
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Your community, your neighborhood, your news!
22
Nurtures your kid’s artistic nature. See “Tuesday Children’s Art Classes.”
THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM  The Junior Officers Dis-
covery Zone is an exhibit designed for ages 2-10. It’s divided into four
areas (Police Academy; Park and Precinct; Emergency Services Unit;
and a Multi-Purpose Area), each with interactive and imaginary play
experiences for children to understand the role of police officers in our
community — by, among other things, driving and taking care of a police
car. For older children, there’s a crime scene observation activity that will
challenge them to remember relevant parts of city street scenes; a physi-
cal challenge similar to those at the Police Academy; and a model Emer-
gency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in, use the steering
wheel and lights, hear radio calls with police codes and see some of the
actual equipment carried by The Emergency Services Unit. At 100 Old
Slip. For info, call 212-480-3100 or visit www.nycpm.org. Hours: Mon.
through Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., noon-5pm. Admission: $8 ($5 for stu-
dents, seniors and children. Free for children under 2.
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER  For info on swim les-
sons, basketball, gym class, Karate and more, call 212-766-1104.
Visit manhattanyouth.org. The Downtown Community Center is
located at 120 Warren St.
Moving Visions’ Murray Street Studio
A Wise Choice for your child’s dance education!
Dance for Children and Teens
• Modern Ballet (ages 5-18) • Choreography (ages 8 & up)
• Creative Movement/Pre-Ballet (ages 3-5)
ADULT CLASSES Yoga - Tai Chi • Chi/Dance/Exercise for Women
19 Murray St., 3rd Fl.
(Bet. Broadway and Church)
Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
Photo by Bob Lee
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS  Explore painting, collage
and sculpture through self-guided arts projects. Open art stations are
ongoing throughout the afternoon — giving children the opportunity to
experiment with materials such as paint, clay, fabric, paper and found
objects. Regular museum hours: Wed.-Sun., 12-5pm; Thurs., 12-6pm
(Pay as You Wish, from 4-6pm). Admission: $10. At the Children’s
Museum of the Arts (182 Lafayette St. btw. Broome & Grand). Call
212- 274-0986 or visit cmany.org. For group tours and visit, call 212)
274-0986, extension 31.
SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AT THE SCHOLASTIC STORE  Every
Saturday at 3pm, Scholastic’s in-store activities are designed to get
kids reading, thinking, talking, creating and moving. The Scholastic
Store is located at 557 Broadway (btw. Prince & Spring). Regular store
hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-7pm, and Sun., 11am-6pm. For info about
store events, call 212-343-6166. Visit scholastic.com.
BOOKS OF WONDER & CUPCAKE CAFÉ  Literate kids and cup-
cake enthusiasts of all ages mingle at the space shared by Books of
Wonder and Cupcake Café. The Café has sweet stuff all day, every day
212-608-7681 (day)
www.murraystreetdance.com
youth
Activities
(they’ve got some of the best icing in town) — while the bookstore has
story time Sundays at Noon (appropriate for ages 3-7). There’s simply
nothing better than being able to depend on a weekly story followed
by a massive sugar rush. Life is good! Books of Wonder is located at
18th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Call 212-989-3270 or visit booksof-
wonder.com. Cupcake Café, at the same address, can be reached at
212-465-1530 (visit cupcakecafe.com).
POETS HOUSE  The Poets House “Tiny Poets Time” program offers
children ages 1-3 and their parents a chance to enter the world of
rhyme — through readings, group activities and interactive perfor-
mances. Thursdays at 10am (at 10 River Terrace, at Murray St.). Call
212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org.
ANGELINA BALLERINA: THE MUSICAL  Everyone at the Cam-
embert Academy is all aflutter because a special guest is coming to
visit. Angelina and her friends are excited to show off their hip-hop,
modern dance, Irish jig and ballet skills — but will Angelina get that
moment in the spotlight she’s hoping for? Based on characters from
the PBS series, this show is appropriate for ages 3-12. Through Feb.
19, Sat. at 1pm & 3pm and Sun. at 1pm. At the Union Square Theatre
(100 E. 17th St. btw. Union Square East and Irving Place). For tickets
($39.50-$65), call 1-800-982-2787 or visit ticketmaster.com. Also visit
angelinathemusical.com.
DEAR EDWINA  This heartwarming show about the joys and
frustrations of growing up has our spunky heroine (advice-giver
extraordinaire Edwina Spoonable) sharing her wisdom on everything
from setting the table to making new friends. That it’s done through
clever, catchy and poignant songs makes the experience enjoyable
and engaging for kids who know what Edwina’s going through as
well as adults who remember what it was like. Through Feb. 25 at
the DR2 Theatre (103 E. 15th St.). For tickets ($39), call 212-239-6200.
For groups of 10 or more, call 646-747-7400. Visit dearedwina.com for
additional details and full playing schedule.
GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW: THE NEXT GENERATION  Three
years into its run, the Gazillion Bubble Show welcomes creator Fan
Yang’s 20-year-old son into the family business. We’re promised that
“Bubble Super-Star” Deni Yang will elevate this already spectacular
experience to new heights of bubble blowing artistry). The open-
ended run plays Fri. at 7 p.m., Sat. at 11am, 2pm and 4:30pm and Sun.
at noon and 3pm. 75 minutes, no intermission. For tickets ($44.50 to
$89.50), call 212-239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com. Visit gazil-
lionbubbleshow.com.
PRESCHOOL PLAYAND STORIES & SONGS  A new session
A budding Junior Officer works on his memory skills. See “New York City Police
Museum.”
downtown express
Photo courtesy of BPC Parks
Enjoying Preschool Play in Battery Park
City. See “Preschool Play.”
of “Preschool Play” has been added: This program, for walking tod-
dlers, invites you to join other children, parents, and caregivers for fun
interactive play, art, and theme days. Thursdays, through March 24,
from 1:30-3:30pm. The fee is $175 for 10 weeks (siblings: $100).  At
“Stories & Songs,” a variety of musicians perform child-friendly music
and teach. Movement, dancing and shakers add to the fun. Mondays,
through April 25 (except 1/17 and 2/21) as well as on Wednesdays,
Jan. 12-April 13. Space is still available in 40-minute classes: the 9:30-
10:10am class for children 6-14 months — and the 12 noon-12:40pm
class for mixed ages (6 months to 3.5 years). There is a $231 fee for
14 weeks (20% discount for siblings).  Both events take place in the
Meeting Room at the Verdesian (211 North End Ave., btw. Warren &
Murray, in Battery Park City). For info or to register, call 212-267-9700,
ext. 366 or 348. Visit bpcparks.org.
TUESDAY CHILDREN’S ART CLASSES  Asian American Arts
Centre is sponsoring an after school Children’s Art Class program
which focuses on children from 6 years old to 14 years old. Instruc-
tors Caroline McAuliffe and Lu Yi — both teaching artists who have
been working with young people for several years – offer a program
designed to stimulate a child’s capacity to explore their own artistic
originality and cultural background. Children are introduced to the
language of visual forms as well as those of Asian art forms. The
15-week semester begins on Feb. 8.The first class (3pm to 4:30pm)
is for children ages 6-9. The second class (4:40pm to 6:30pm) is for
children ages 9-14. Registration hours are Fridays, 10:30 am to 5pm.
Tuition is $235 and includes all supplies. Asian American Arts Centre
is located at 111 Norfolk St. For info, call 212-233-2154. Or visit artspi-
ral.org  and www.artasiamerica.org.
Would you like to see your event listed in the
Downtown Express?   Listing requests may be sent to scott@
downtownexpress.com. Please provide the date, time, location, price
and a description of the event. Information may also be mailed to 145
Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10013. Requests must be
received three weeks before the event is to be held.
Photo courtesy of the NYC Police Museum
downtown express
downtownexpressarts&entertainment
Living Theatre’s ‘quasi-biblical hymn’ to anarchy fights fair
Judith Malina: Horrifying with her politics since age 11
theater
KORACH
Written by Judith Malina
Directed by Brad Burgess
Running Time: 55 minutes, no intermission
Through February 28
At the Living Theatre (21 Clinton St. btw.
Houston & Stanton Sts.)
Tickets: $20 (Students/Seniors: $15. Seniors.
Wed, pay what you can)
For reservations, call 978-273-5443
BY JERRY TALLMER
Let us do a little triangulation.
Here, at one point, is 21 Clinton Street
on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New
York City.
This is where The Living Theatre, found-
ed by Judith Malina and Julian Beck in 1947,
lives and breathes these days, 64 years later,
as does Judith herself, with a new play by
her called “Korach” — a quasi-biblical hymn
to anarchy (though Julian is long gone, as
is, more recently, second husband Hanon
Reznikov, who left behind him an early draft
of the present work).
Far, far away, at the apex of an immensely
long thin triangle, is Mount Sinai — not the
New York City medical center, but the desert
heights from which Moses, the lone, imperi-
ous, infuriated climber, brought back down
the Ten Commandments only to smash them
in the face of rebellious, anarchic challenges
to his authority.
Januar y 19 - 25, 2011
L to R: Andrew Greer, Jay Dobkin and Tom Walker.
ting. It’s a rock palace nowadays.
“I know, “she says calmly. “So I ran home
from the Beacon Theater — we used to live
around here; we lived everywhere — and
said to my father, the German-Jewish rabbi
who was trying to rouse opinion against
Hitler: ‘Papa, I’ve just seen this movie! We
must not hate the Nazis!’ “
And what did your Papa say?
‘”He was horrified by my politics since
I was 11.”
Max Malina, were he alive today, would
be doubly horrified by “Korach,” in which
the pace is set by Comrade Emma Goldman
23
great opposing camp. They are afraid
of freedom because they believe that
freedom will lead to chaos. We must
show them the sense of consensus
and collective decision-making that
Anarchism offers. We must reassure the
people that Anarchism doesn’t mean
disorder, but a higher form of human
organization.   Comrade Alexander
Berkman said, “Anarchism is organi-
zation; organization, and nothing but
organization.”
If the people are not convinced of
this — if they are afraid that anarchism
means chaos and violence — they will
wipe us out. They will eliminate us
without mercy — as they have done
in the Ukraine, in Spain, wherever
the burgeoning Anarchist Movement
threatened the maintenance of the
state. Wherever Anarchism has been
tried, it has succeeded in exemplify-
ing a harmonious society. But it has
frightened the people in power, and
the Anarchists have always been wiped
Photo courtesy of kennedyyankoart.com out — all the way back to Korach, in
&
Continued on page 25
MUSIC ART
4ODDLERADULT 7EAT#HURCH3TREET3CHOOL
0RESCHOOL FOR-USICAND!RTBELIEVE
!FTERSCHOOL THATEVERYONEHASUNIQUE
ARTSACADEMY
And here is the third peg of that extreme-
ly extended triangle, is a restaurant called
Viand Cafe (at Broadway and 75th Street on
the Upper West Side of Manhattan) where
Judith Malina has come uptown to talk
about “Korach” and theater and girlhood
and anarchy — and her father, Max Malina
(the rabbi who got himself and his family out
of Germany and to New York just in time
when Judith was three).
“When I was 12 years old,” Malina is
saying, “I saw a movie called ‘Nurse Edith
Cavell’ “ — released 1939, so Malina must
really have been 13 years old — “in which
a beautiful English actress named Anna
TH
Neagle, just before she’s shot as a spy by a
German firing squad in World War I, says:
‘Standing as I am between God and eternity,
I realize that patriotism is not enough.’
“That’s when I realized we must have no
hatred or bitterness against anyone. I saw this
movie,” says Judith,” at the Beacon Theater.”
What??? an interviewer all but shouts.


Judith, the Beacon Theater is right over
there, two doors away from where we’re sit-
(all 4 foot 11 inches of actress Judith 2OCKTHEHOUSE creativePOTENTIALAND
Malina, on film) preaching anarchy — the
&UNDAMENTALSOF THATTHEDEVELOPMENT
real pure stuff — first, last, and always.
lNEART OFexpressionOFTHIS
EMMA: We are now in the midst 4EENARTSTUDIO CREATIVITYISessentialTO
of a profound social upheaval.   We
Anarchists can take heart that the 0RIVATEGROUP
young generation has lost its faith INSTRUMENTAL THEHEALTHANDHAPPINESS
in government — not in any specific OFTHEINDIVIDUALANDTHE
regime or government — but in the
3ENIORCHORUS
very notion of government itself.  The "IRTHDAYPARTIES COMMUNITY
time is ripe for us to organize the
Anarchist Movement.  If all the young celebrating 20
years
people that are drawing the ‘A’ in a 0RESIDENTS7EEK#AMPS
circle on the wall…really understood &EBRUARY
what that ‘Circle A’ means, we could
really have a splendid revolution now #REATIVE!RTS7ORKSHOP
— and in the deepest sense they do 2OCKTHE(OUSE

understand that the ‘Circle A’ means #ALL4ODAY

the yearning to be free of the unneces-
sary restrictions that our social system 2EGISTERNOWFOR3PRINGCLASSES3PRING3EMESTERBEGINS*ANUARY
demands — and of the abuses of puni-
tive law….

We will rally that energy, but we   7A R R E N 3 T R E E T  W W W C H U R C H S T R E E T S C H O O L  O R G
must beware of the ruthlessness of the
24 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 downtown express

‘Men Go Down’ worth going Downtown for

Retelling of classic feels purposeful and relevant
theater
MEN GO DOWN, PART 3:
BLACK RECOLLECTIONS
Written & Directed By: John Jahnke
Produced by Producer: Hotel Savant
Through January 23
At 3LD Art & Technology Center
80 Greenwich St. (btw. Rector & Edgar)
Running Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes;
no intermission
For tickets ($25), call 212-352-3101

BY MARTIN DENTON ( nytheatre.com )

“Men Go Down, Part 3: Black
Recollections” is the newest work by John
Jahnke and Hotel Savant. I’ve been a fan of
Jahnke’s work for a decade or more, but I
must admit that this latest piece is so oblique
that it’s hard to recommend wholeheartedly.
Like all of Jahnke’s theatre, this is a
feast for the senses: painterly stage pic-
tures parade before us along with beautiful
(often unclothed) bodies of both genders;
meanwhile our eyes and ears are overloaded

There are moments in

this piece that will stay
with me due to their
unexpectedness and
beauty. But I did not feel
Photo by Dixie Sheridan
much transformed or Hillary Spector as Diana, Goddess of the Moon and Alexander Borinsky as Endymion, former King of Elis.

moved by the proceedings.
with surprising, startling imagery — a door-
bell that sounds like a miniature symphony,
human-size frames that house ever-morphing
“oil paintings” depicting the main characters
in various costumes and poses, a view out a
window into a black night filled with swirling
stars and clouds and, at one point, fireworks.
Where “Men Go Down” proves prob-
lematic is in its meaning. The visual and
aural components are endlessly striking,
but the text and script they support are
elliptical in the extreme — even to the
point where characters frequently leave
out key words from their sentences (usu-
ally, but not always, the nouns). This
makes for challenging parsing, especially
when there’s such a stupendous sensual
feast unfolding from every direction.
The play takes place in a hotel room in
Turkey in the year 1895. Here, a long-ago
king named Endymion, who has recently
been awakened after sleeping for a thousand
years, is visited by the goddess Diana and
by a nymph named Dryope who has been
carrying his unborn child, also for a millen-
nium. Dryope says she wants Endymion dead,
so that she can finally birth his offspring.
Endymion is also pursued, or haunted, in
waking dreams, by a trio of gods who mani-
fest themselves as hotel cleaning staff, and by
his ancient love Hylas, who was Heracles’s
lover in Greek myth, who appears momen-
tarily as a hotel chef.
Now, this is all based in obscure Greek
myth — but the tale is not at all well-known
to contemporary American audiences. In fact,
without a full page of program notes, I would
behaves accountably for his actions.
Jahnke’s direction and design concept
are stunning, and the realization of that
design — by Peter Ksander (set), Kristin
Worrall (sound), Bruce Steinberg (lighting),
Ramona Ponce (costumes), Taili Wu, Andrew
Schneider, and Rebecca Adomo (video) — is
utterly breathtaking. The cast of eight is led
by Alexander Borinsky as Endymion (who
makes a wondrously surprising entrance near
the start of the show) and Hillary Spector and
Tanisha Thompson as his antagonists Diana
and Dryope; Tim Eliot, Liz Santoro, Michael
Ingle, Melody Bates, and Mikeah Jennings
complete the ensemble in smaller roles that

Can’t get enough

have had trouble coming up with as specific a require them to dance, move, and serve as
summary of the play as I’ve provided. various forms of chorus.
In any event, though “Men Go Down” There are moments in this piece that will

of Downtown Express?
Sign up for email blasts at DowntownExpress.com, follow DowntownExpress
on the surface is a kind of retelling of this
classic tale, the play’s raison d’etre feels more
purposeful and relevant. What I got from the
piece was the story of a man who feels entitle-
stay with me due to their unexpectedness and
beauty. But I did not feel much transformed
or moved by the proceedings — which sur-
prised me, because with the work of John
on Twitter and become our fans on Facebook to get the latest breaking news. ment without responsibility; someone who Jahnke and Hotel Savant, that’s almost always
sleeps or retreats or blames rather than ever what happens.
downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 25

A hymn to anarchy
and Third.”
Continued from page 23 Brad Burgess, the young director of
“Korach,” who has come uptown with her to
Biblical History. sit in on the interview, shoots Judith a look.
We will lose every battle — except “I can’t believe you remember that,”
the last one. Burgess says, “when you can’t remember
your current address.”
This, from the woman who in May of Judith Malina was born June 4, 1926, in
1963 (with her husband/co-artist/co-anar- Kiel, Germany. Three years later she arrived
chist Julian Beck, along with actors and in America.
audience) burst in over the roof of their Brad Burgess was born March 1, 1985,
padlocked 14th Street theater to foil the feds in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in
and stage one last performance of Kenneth Lowell, went to Catholic schools, and is a
Brown’s “The Brig” — a Malina-directed nice kid sporting a 1960s Abbie Hoffman
portrait of hell as a U.S. Marine Corps disci- head of hair. His roots are French, Irish,
plinary center. Austrian. These (and nights), he is oversee-
This, also, from the woman who even ing 25 anarchy-minded actors — some of
earlier (1959) had brought forth at that tem- whom, the Korachites, pop up on stage from
ple the artistically even more revolutionary 10,000 years punishment under the earth.
“The Connection” — a “jazz play” by young Korach himself is played on Clinton
Jack Gelber about a roomful of druggies sit- Street by Tom Walker, who has been with
ting around waiting for their fix to arrive. Or the Living Theatre only 39 years. “He’s been
who placed before New York eyes and ears Faust, George Washington, Humboldt, and
the rarely hazarded works of Bertolt Brecht now Korach.”
and William Carlos Williams. Where would Max Malina have ranked
“I have always considered my theater,” Korach among villains?
says the Judith of here and now, “to be “About three steps below Adolf Hitler.”
an adjunct of my father’s German-Jewish The Broadway Central Hotel — to be
synagogue. Wherever we lived, East Side, exact, the third floor of the Broadway
West Side, my father’s study is where he Central Hotel — was where 11-year-old
conducted services, did bar mitzvahs, did Judith Malina and her girlfriends first started
circumcisions. On Saturdays you didn’t ride putting on plays.
in a vehicle, didn’t turn on a light. Judith, says her interviewer, it’s all well
“In those days I considered myself a and good to preach and practice anarchy
heretical Jew. I had to make a decision: Am — but surely you didn’t create that com-
I going to be an actress or am I going to be
observant?”
pany and put on all those extraordinary
shows and hold everything together all
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downtown express Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 27

Ellen Stewart, 91, doyenne of La MaMa and all avant drama

obituary
By Wickham Boyle
Ellen Stewart — the mercurial, magi-
cal, inventive, prescient founder and
longtime artistic director of the famed
La mama Theatre died in New York City
on Jan. 13. Stewart was my mentor, my
boss, my partner, the grandmother to my
children — and to generations of us who
worked in New York City or American or
world theater, she was our mother.
Everything about Ellen Stewart is
swathed in mystery and wonder. Even
The New York Times, bastion of fact,
attributes three possible dates for her
birth, from 1917 to 1919. Her birthplace
was Chicago, but her accent morphed.
It was different when she spoke to the
press, her adoring audiences or to her
bad “babies,” and it could range from
Geechee Louisianan, to across the world
or become the grittiest street-corner ban-
ter. Like the theatrical form she spawned,
global, multicultural, cross-disciplinary
and just damn undeniably La mama, Ellen
Stewart herself was a hybrid before any-
one else envisioned that possibility.
Stewart came to New York City with a
carpetbag jammed full of dreams to be a
fashion designer. She was going to study
at Parsons, but lack of funding saw her
land as a porter in Saks Fifth Avenue.
Stewart so often told this story: File photo
“The coloreds, for back then that Ellen Stewart, founder of La MaMa Theatre, at City Hall in September 2004 for the announcement of the Fourth Arts Block deal
is what we were, coloreds, wore blue with the city. Seven properties on E. Fourth St. between Bowery and Second Ave., plus several vacant lots, were sold for $1
smocks and carted the goods everywhere each to Fourth Arts Block, a.k.a. FAB. Under the deal, the properties were permanently dedicated for use by cultural, nonprofit
in the store. One day as I was leaving organizations, assuring that the theaters, dance studios and other artistic uses on the block would not disappear.
for lunch, wearing one of my own cre-
ations, sewn in my little garret, a fancy part of the show. The world stage is now amazing archives containing every script, Ellen Stewart was a MacArthur Genius
patron stopped me and inquired where chockablock full of these techniques; you mask, piece of Mylar, check stub, video (MacArthur Fellowship) grantee in 1985
I had bought my dress. When I told her see them in commercials, in Broadway and photograph ever to emanate from the and she took her subvention and pur-
honestly that I myself had made it, she shows, in circus and in school plays. But halls of La MaMa. On East First Street chased a former monastery in Umbria,
marched me to my boss to be dressed when La MaMa began in 1961 all of this is La MaMa’s La Galleria, which holds Italy, in the shadows of the renowned
down for insubordination.” Instead, the was uncharted territory. down the funky distaff side of an East Spoleto Festival. Here, Stewart and La
wise head of Saks gave Stewart her own Ellen Stewart prided herself on never Village now resembling nothing of its mama created a summer institute for
line of dresses, Miss Ellen. “And that, reading scripts and picking plays, opera gritty roots. international artists of stature and aco-
baby, is how Mama made good on a or art shows by a series of reactions she The roll call of legends who began, lytes. When Stewart first proposed this
promise to my brother Freddy [Lights] called her “beeps.” returned or graced La MaMa include (but idea to the then business manager, James
and his friend Paul [Foster] to make a “Baby, if it beeps to me, Mama will beware this list could never be exhaustive, Moore, he exclaimed, “Oh, my God, what
little playhouse for them,” she said. know, and if it doesn’t, I don’t care what or it would encompass pages): Harvey will she do with that pile of rocks?” As
In the early years the police constantly the words say and who your real mama is, Keitel, Liz Swados, Andrei Serban, Diane with everything she touched, Stewart’s
raided Stewart and La mama because, as it is not for La MaMa!” I would see her Lane, Harvey Fierstein, Al Pacino, Bette alchemy spun it into artistic gold.
she said, “The police saw a Negress in a on the phone to Bogotá or Brooklyn or Midler, Bob Wilson, Philip Glass, Sam Even with all these honors, Ellen
basement and lots of white men traips- Belgium with artists and she giving notes Shepard, Adrienne Rich, Tom O’Horgan, Stewart could still be seen sweeping
ing down the stairs and they thought — via her beeps: “Look at Pages 5, 23 and Peter Brook, Robert De Niro and even Joe the sidewalk in front of the theaters.
Ahhhhh, brothel. Well, baby, it was only 91, that is where the trouble lies.” And Papp himself before he founded the Public When I interviewed with her to be the
theater.” time after time, artists told me that infor- Theater. As a wonderful, and deserved executive director back in the 1980’s she
And yes, theater it was, but never mation was salient to redoing the work. tribute, the Public sent out a press release asked me, “Well, Miss Wicki [we were
only theater. The theatrical style that If it all sounds magical, voodoo crazy, saying that their season would be dedi- all Miss or Mr. and our first name], you
was developed and championed by Ellen woo-woo incomprehensible, then so does cated to Ellen Stewart. have gotten a fancy education since first
Stewart and La mama literally changed the fairy tale Stewart spun in the East And the list of awards bestowed upon working here at Mama’s when you were
the face of every piece of live perfor- Village and around the world. La MaMa her is equally august. Stewart won a Tony 19. Are you too big to clean a toilet or
mance, video and film that modern view- will celebrate its 50th anniversary this in 2006 for theatrical excellence, count- sweep with me?” I wasn’t then and it was
ers take for granted. La mama pioneered October and it boasts two buildings less OBIE awards, the Human Rights always an honor to do whatever it took
shows that crossed over and married on East Fourth Street alone. In fact, Award from the government of the to light up the stages and watch Mama’s
swirling stages, bespoke films, live music, the La MaMa Theatre really was the Philippines, the Sacred Treasure Award silver locks shake as she rang her bell
electronic accoutrements, words and not linchpin on which the East 4th Street from the emperor of Japan and the Les and sang out in that complicated lilt,
just in English; all wrapped around a Cultural District was anchored. In these Kurbas Award from Ukraine, and she “Welcome to La MaMa, dedicated to the
directorial style where the audience was two buildings are three theaters, an was an officer in the French Ordre des playwright and ALLLLLLLLL aspects of
immersed in, surrounded by or an actual office, Stewart’s private residence and an Arts et des Lettres. the theater.”
28 Januar y 19 - 25, 2011 downtown express