Interview and photos by Stacie Joy
East Village cookbook seller Bonnie Slotnick returned to court yesterday morning in connection with her September arrest outside her shop with a security guard from the Harry Styles-themed Together Together pop-up on Second Street.
And while the case isn't officially over, she left feeling optimistic.
Slotnick, 72, was arrested on Sept. 18 following a confrontation with a member of the pop-up's line-management team outside her longtime business.
The dispute involved a bicycle-lock key that Slotnick acknowledged holding near the woman's face and neck. Among the four charges were one count of second-degree menacing and criminal possession of a weapon (a bike lock key). She spent roughly 12 hours in custody, first at the 9th Precinct and then at Manhattan Central Booking, with a stop at Bellevue Hospital after her blood pressure spiked.
The incident followed weeks of complaints about the crowds and lines outside the merchandise shop at 22 E. Second St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery. (Background here.)
Speaking exclusively with us after the court appearance, Slotnick said the complainant had not submitted a supporting deposition, leaving the case without the documentation needed to move forward.
"It was pretty much a non-event," she said.
According to Slotnick, there's a 90-day window from the incident to file the necessary paperwork. If that deadline passes without the deposition, she said, the case could be dismissed.
Slotnick said she doesn't know why the complainant has not submitted the paperwork. For now, she's hopeful the case will soon be behind her.
Her attorney explained the situation during a brief conversation outside the courtroom yesterday morning. They then appeared before the judge, who set the next court date for Jan. 11. Slotnick said her attorney may be able to handle that appearance without her, depending on the status of the case.
As for how she feels about the possible resolution?
"The resolution that sits on the edge of the cliff and is hanging. It's a hanging chad," she joked, referencing the disputed ballots from the 2000 presidential election.
For now, she's happy to have some peace and quiet back on the block following Monday's departure of the Together Together Store, which drew large crowds of Harry Styles fans during its two-month run at 22 E. Second St. while the singer hosted a 30-night residency at the Garden.
"I'm glad to just have the block back," she said.
Slotnick also shared that Will Morgan of Glass Studios, which hosted the pop-up, stopped by her shop about three weeks ago to apologize.
"He said he never imagined that ... it would be anything like that, and he would never do anything like that again," she recalled.
She said Morgan told her he would rather make less money than host another event that disrupted the neighborhood.
Slotnick also confirmed that she was reimbursed for the damage to her bicycle tire. (Someone slashed her tire.)
One unexpected bright spot in the ordeal was the support she received from friends and neighbors who submitted character references on her behalf.
"Some of them cc'd me when they sent them in. It was like being at my own funeral," she said.
"I hope these people are around to give my eulogy because they talked about things about my life that I haven't thought of for years ... nice things that I've done."
She doesn't know whether the judge has read the letters, but she appreciated the outpouring of support.
And the bicycle key involved in the September arrest?
"The key's always here because I'm always riding my bike," she said.
