Photos by William Klayer
On St. Mark's Place between A and First tonight...
Friday, August 22, 2025
Today in trash can fires
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
It was an East Village flashback of sorts today on Third Street and Avenue B with a random trash can fire.
A worker from a nearby business doused the flames with a few buckets of water before the FDNY got there (in a hurry, btw).
So what happens to the melted trash can?
The FDNY says Sanitation will take care of it.
Changes
Brooklyn's Nation of Language has a new record, Dance Called Memory, out on Sub Pop next month.
The video here is for the track "I'm Not Ready for the Change."
Nation of Language's mid-’80s-inspired sound (OMD! Human League!) gains extra punch on stage ... catch them at Warsaw on Sept. 18-20.
Old-school BBQ chicken on the menu for Trinity fundraiser this Sunday
This Sunday (3-7 p.m.) during the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park, friends of Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish and Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless are offering and old-school barbecue chicken dinner fundraiser to support their work feeding our community. Headed up by Pastor Will Kroeze, Chef Will Horowitz and friends, dinners will be $25 and served to go to enjoy during the festival.Copies of the East Village Cookbook will also be available for purchase just in time for early holiday shopping (only four months until Christmas!).Established nearly 40 years ago, Trinity's Services provides over 200,000 meals each year through its daily free lunch and food pantry.
Get some zines tomorrow evening in Tompkins Square Park
The 8 Ball Community's mobile zine truck will be out and about tomorrow (Aug.23), including at 7 p.m. at Tompkins Square Park.
Push continues to landmark East Village’s historic Most Holy Redeemer
EVG file photo from 2023
As we first reported on July 16, Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity is halting its mass schedule starting in September, leaving the future of the historic church in question.
A group called "Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church" is hosting a vigil this evening at 7 outside the church on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B to raise awareness of its fate.
Meanwhile, efforts continue by preservation groups and parishioners to landmark the historic East Village property. To date, outgoing District 2 City Council Member Carlina Rivera and the Tenement Museum have lobbied the Landmarks Preservation Committee.
The landmarking effort, spearheaded by Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition, seeks to protect the 19th-century church built in 1851 — along with its rectory and former school — from potential redevelopment.
Supporters argue that the church is a vital part of the neighborhood's cultural and architectural heritage, and it deserves formal landmark status.
Find the petition here.
During a meeting on July 14, church officials said that Most Holy Redeemer's weekly masses will end on Aug. 31. In their place, the church will offer only occasional services, such as weddings, funerals, or what was described as "once in a blue moon masses" for long-time parishioners. This fall, masses that were previously held on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (including Spanish services) will take place at nearby St. Brigid's.
Leadership cited the shortage of priests as a key reason for the shift.
Concerns were also raised about the structural condition of the building itself. There is plaster falling from the ceiling in the church, officials noted, adding that engineers would evaluate whether it remains safe.
An employee of Most Holy Redeemer and St. Brigid attended the July 14 meeting and expressed skepticism about the timing of the engineering review, calling it "suspicious."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Signage reveal: Mayberry Marketplace on 1st Avenue
The market will offer the usual corner spot fixings — breakfast, sandwiches, coffee, groceries, etc.
(We did have a flashback to the vintage TV series, "Mayberry RFD," which picked up where "The Andy Griffith Show" left off ... RIP Goober.)
Anyway, the corner previously housed Houston Village Farm. During renovations, we had a ghost signage reveal for a business that had a short tenure here in the early 1980s.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
HBD Joe Strummer
Pinc Louds fill LPR with joyful abandon and Tompkins Square Park tributes
Photos and text by Stacie Joy
Pinc Louds marked the release of their new album with a full-house party at Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker Street this past Saturday night.
Staged in the round, the night unfolded with balloons, puppets, dancing, and the mix of joyful abandon and tender chaos that has become a Pinc Louds hallmark.
Amid the exuberance, the performance also leaned into more somber notes — touching on themes of mental illness, medication, sorrow, and creating space for those who don't always feel seen to be celebrated.
Tompkins Square Park — where lead singer Federico and the band have been a regular presence — was a thread throughout the show. There were tributes to departed souls such as Travis "Grim" Durkin and Jerry Foust, and others lost in the Park over the years.
C&B Café trying to make the best of a bad situation after gas shutoff on 7th Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Early Tuesday morning, C&B Café owner Ali Sahin was on his way to his yet-to-open bakery at 178 E. Seventh St. when he saw the FDNY pulling up. A gas alarm in the basement of the residential building had gone off, triggering a response.
"When I opened the door, there was a very strong smell of gas," Sahin said.
The FDNY shut off gas to the entire building and both line valves. He fears it could take months before service is restored. The building upstairs has reportedly been in the process of converting to all-electric, which makes a full repair even less likely.
Sahin said ConEd stayed on-site overnight. Crews shut down the Citi Bike station across the street between Avenue A and Avenue B and opened up the area around the main gas line.
He added that the issue traces back eight or nine years, to what he calls shoddy work.
"There was an old gas line in the basement. When a new one was installed, [Con Ed workers] failed to close the other one, leaving a cut line open and potentially leaking."
For now, C&B is still turning out wholesale orders and plenty of pastries, bread, and coffee.
Without gas to crank out their well-liked egg sandwiches, though, Sahin and his team are working on a revised menu of cold plates, salads, sandwiches, and a few dishes prepared on induction burners or their lone electric oven — possibly available starting this weekend.
C&B is currently operating with reduced staff, and Sahin said he is in contact with other restaurants to help place workers if the shutdown drags on.
"At first I was angry," Sahin said. "Now I am just glad we did not explode."
Signage alert: Himawari Café on 1st Ave.
The women-owned shop specializing in matcha, tea and Japanese desserts is relocating to this space from the Mott Street Eatery in Chinatown.
You can follow the shop's Instagram account for updates.
No. 69 was previously Fancy Juice, which moved six blocks north on First Avenue after 10 years in the storefront.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Wednesday's parting shot
Based on this car size, it would take us 478 trips to move.
Deliveristas confront new hurdles after 11th Street bike sweep
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Since the NYPD and Sanitation's joint sweep on July 30, when dozens of e-bikes and mopeds were cut from scaffolding and poles along 11th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, delivery workers have faced a mounting series of obstacles trying to reclaim their property and maintain their livelihoods.
Those who have come to the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street to retrieve their bikes have been met with administrative sanitation summonses under code 16-122(b). Penalties range from $50 to $250, and though NYPD emphasizes these are administrative, not criminal, they still appear on a criminal summons ticket, as one deliverista shared his summons with me.
As such, proof of ownership is required, and only the registered owner with a receipt can claim a bike — photos do not count. Bikes will be held at the Precinct for at least 30 days.
Immigration concerns
For many deliveristas, the real fear is not the fine but the court appearance. Hearings are held at 1 Centre St., and workers worry that showing up could expose them to ICE detention.
Others fear that even pleading guilty to resolve the summons could leave a blemish on their record, complicating citizenship applications.
Tyler Hefferon, executive director of the East Village-based food insecurity nonprofit EV Loves NYC, has been working closely with asylum seekers for the past few years.
"We've seen members of our community detained after routine immigration hearings," he said. "Some have been locked up for years while their cases are processed. Now they're scared the same thing could happen if they show up in court just to get their bikes back."
Rumors have circulated that bikes were moved offsite — one worker even claimed a tracker pinged in New Jersey.
The NYPD insists all bikes remain at the 9th Precinct, with battery-equipped models kept in the parking lot and non-battery bikes stored in the basement.
With bikes tied up, so are livelihoods. Many workers had only recently secured federal work permits and had just begun deliveries. Some are still paying rental fees on seized bikes.
"Every day the bikes are kept, wages are being lost," Hefferon said.
In response to the standoff on 11th Street, Community Board 3 worked with the Parks Department to identify alternative spaces. Community gardens weren't feasible, but the nearby Lower East Side Playground — part of a Jointly Operated Playground adjacent to East Side Community School — is open for neighborhood use after 3:30 p.m. and on weekends.
Parks has since added picnic tables and trash cans, and the space here between Avenue A and First Avenue on 11th Street is now open for deliveristas.
However, when Community Board 3 District Manager Susan Stetzer and NYPD reps visited the other day, the 11th Street gate was locked.
After some back-and-forth with Parks staff (and the help of Google Translate with workers waiting outside), the gate was opened, and deliveristas quickly filed into the shaded space to rest.
At the site, Stetzer pressed the NYPD about why workers' bags had been confiscated and discarded during the sweep.
The NYPD responded that there had been "plenty of Sanitation outreach" and stressed that "there has to be more accountability."
Stetzer countered:
The City creates microhubs for large companies like FedEx, but why are these workers the only ones not being helped? They are lower-income, people of color, and immigrants. Why is the City not willing to accommodate them? When a restaurant operates on a sidewalk illegally, it gets a summons; when an immigrant hangs his bag there, they throw it out. Why the inequality?
She continued:
There is one reason these people are here. The neighborhood orders delivery. If the community doesn't want them here, they can stop ordering everything delivered. These are businesspeople serving the needs of the community.
NYPD officials argued the issue is larger than enforcement:
They have to respect the block. They have to be good neighbors. They can't leave trash. They need to be more responsible. And there is an easy answer....the delivery companies need to do more. It doesn't take a lot of money. Give them a rest station, a place to store their belongings. These are their employees; they should provide for them. Without these guys, who is going to be delivering your food? These guys need a charging station ... Until that is provided, where will they eat? Sure, the two new benches are nice, but there are hundreds of people here. Who is going to sit, and who will stand? We need to give hard-working people an opportunity, and this part is not a police matter.
What's next
So far, NYPD sources say that no bikes have been released back to their owners. Meetings with local elected officials and delivery companies are being planned, with the hope of finding longer-term solutions.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Citi Bike tags, stickers call out NYC 'transplants'
Stickers have also been spotted with the message: "Transplants are no longer adapting to NYC. NYC is adapting to the transplants."
There's also a "locals buy locals" variation, as seen on Avenue A and Fifth Street (pic by Stacie Joy).
We're not sure who's behind these.
We posted the graffiti and stickers to our Instagram Stories, and the unsolicited responses poured in. Roughly 80% sided with the "transplants must adapt" message — instead of treating the city like an extension of campus life.
EVG Etc.: Updates on A10 Kitchen, Burgerhead, Kikoo Sushi, Cafe Skye
Signage was first spotted last December, and there wasn't a lot of activity here earlier in the year.
This will be the second Manhattan spot for the brand that sells burgers, chili dogs, fried chicken sandwiches, etc.
A for-lease sign arrived yesterday for a retail space on the lower level of 325 E. 10th St.
The listing via Meridian Capital Group states it is "perfect for any dry use" here between Avenue A and Avenue B. So you'll need to look elsewhere to open an illegal after-hours joint!
Steven points out that Kikoo Sushi on First Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street is closed for a "glow up" (aka renovations). Per the signage, they'll reopen in October.
EVG reader Brian Carroll shared the above photo of 520 E. 14th St.
The owners of Cafe Skye on Clinton Street are seeking a beer-wine license (application here) for the small space between Avenue A and Avenue B.
They are among just a handful of applicants on a light docket for Community Board 3's SLA committee meeting tonight. Details here.
No. 520 was previously Dua Kafe.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Tuesday's parting shot
City Council approves Rivera legislation that creates new 311 category for rooftop activity
Last week, City Council passed legislation introduced by District 2 Council Member Carlina Rivera that creates a new 311 category for rooftop activity complaints.
The bill requires the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications to add subcategories for "rooftop occupancy without proper certificate or permit" and "exceeding authorized rooftop occupancy." A new subcategory under "noise" will also allow residents to report rooftop-related disturbances more directly.
In addition, the Department of Buildings will be required to issue annual public reports on rooftop spaces, including the number of buildings with rooftop recreational areas and those with place of assembly certificates, broken down by local Community Board.
Rivera introduced the legislation in response to ongoing concerns over loud and overcrowded rooftop ragers.
In May 2021, 24-year-old Cameron Perrelli died after falling while climbing from 202 Avenue A to the roof next door at 200 Avenue A.
"While we all understand the appeal of New York's rooftops, safety must come first," Rivera said in a statement. "This legislation ensures that residents can easily report unsafe or disruptive rooftop activity, and that our agencies can respond faster and more effectively. We've seen the tragic consequences of rooftop gatherings, and with this bill, we're taking a clear step toward preventing them."
This is likely Rivera's final act in office. She is reportedly stepping down to take a new role several months before her term ends in December.
Ongoing litigation
In February 2023, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Cameron Perrelli's estate in New York Supreme Court, accusing 202 Avenue A Owner LLC (and related entities) of negligence in a premises liability claim connected to Perrelli's tragic death.
The lawsuit alleges that the property owner failed to ensure safe rooftop access or occupancy, leading to fatal consequences. As of March 24, a Notice of Settlement has been filed, indicating the parties are in the process of resolving the matter — though it remains officially active in court records.
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