Thursday, April 3, 2014

Remembering Spike


[Photo by Lori Der Hagopian]

Early last Thursday morning, an SUV struck and killed a 47-year-old woman while she was crossing Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place. (To our knowledge, the NYPD didn't charge the driver; the woman was reportedly walking on a green light.)

A little later in the day, the media identified the victim as Lisa Julian. Some people didn't recognize that name, us included. More people knew Lisa as Spike or Lucretia, a longtime regular from Tompkins Square Park and Avenue A.

Here, two of the many people who knew Lisa/Spike/Lucretia share some thoughts...

I called her Lucretia — that's what she told me her name was when I opened The Stand. She was the first to welcome me, and would sit and make me laugh for hours.

Her life was a plight, but somewhere deep inside I believe it was the way she exactly wanted it.

She always told everyone she loved them, sometimes in a state, but she always knew what she was saying. She had a lot of love in her heart, and she will be greatly missed by all. — Lori Der Hagopian

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After meeting Lucretia only once, each time we saw one another, she always remembered my name ... and in her old school, rock and roll punk style was gracious and curious to know how I was.

Her gaze was eye to eye. Tough and friendly — much like the neighborhood she called home. I was very sad to hear of her passing in such a frightening way. May she RIP. — Emily Rubin
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5 comments:

  1. nygrumpApril 3, 2014 at 11:27 AM

    Some some cars doing stupid shit on that corner last night - and pedestrians doing their stupid shit - I love the St Marks junkie contingent that seem to have watched that episode of Seinfeld with George and the video game too many times and think it is their turn to live out the dream staggering across 3rd against the light around moving vehicles.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 3, 2014 at 11:45 AM

    RIP Spike.
    Bob Arihood has some great photos of Spike on his Neither More Nor Less Blog. Check them out.
    Sad news.
    Melanie
    East Village Corner

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eden BeeApril 3, 2014 at 10:15 PM

    She would ask me to braid her hair in the bathroom at Tompkins when there was a show going on. Not sure she always knew who i was but i would get a hug and an "I LOVE YOU SWEETIE!" every time.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JimApril 4, 2014 at 10:46 AM

    Whenever I took my guitar out to the Hare Krisna tree in Tompkins there was always a about a fifty percent chance that Spike would be there. Listening, dancing, making chaos

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2015 at 5:07 AM

    I remember spike... had a brief encounter with her...
    RIP spike

    ReplyDelete

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