East Fifth Street Block Association will oppose new 'craft-beer-focused bar-restaurant'

Since Sin Sin shuttered last fall, life on that corner of Second Avenue has been much more pleasant for residents of East Fifth Street (and Second Avenue!) and members of the East Fifth Street Block Association.



However, as Grub Street reported on March 25, the folks behind Dempsey's and Sláinte are taking over the Kurve/Rhong Tiam space across the street from Sin Sin.

Owner Tom O'Byrne is planning on a craft-beer-focused bar-restaurant called Coopers. "The food will be in the American comfort-food mode with some twisted-up Irish dishes mixed in for good measure," he told Grub Street.

O'Byrne has met with members of the East Fifth Street Block Association. While O'Byrne has stressed that he will run an organized and professional establishment, some residents still have concerns about the late hour and yet another bar along that Second Avenue corridor. Currently, the kitchen will stop serving food at midnight, and the bar will close at 3:30 (2 a.m. on weekdays). Which is why Block Association members will be speaking out against approval of a license here during Monday's CB3/SLA meeting.

Previously on EV Grieve:
'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

A letter about Sin Sin

Last night, members of the East Fifth Street Block Association (and others) convened for the monthly Ninth Precinct Community Counsel meeting....

One nearby resident, Nina d'Alessandro, couldn't make it due to work commitments. This is the letter she asked to be read during the meeting:

I've lived on this block at 231 East 5th Street since 1978 and have seen the neighborhood--and the corner of 5th Street and Second Avenue -- through many changes. The situation at Sin Sin ranks with the worst I've witnessed in all these years.

I'm afraid for the young people who get into fights in the streets below my window. I'm afraid for the pedestrians who might happen by at the wrong moment when violence erupts yet again among the club's patrons. I'm afraid for the residents of this block. I've reached the end of my understanding, good will and patience because the patrons of the club are so rowdy, violent and noisy that I don't sleep until 5 or 6 in the morning over the weekend.

The noise and violence keep me up, frighten me, frustrate and anger me and affect my health, my daily life and my livelihood.
I normally use my weekends to get work done, as well as to see friends and relatives -- I discourage visitors these days because I know they won't sleep if they stay in our apartment. I can't get my work done because there is so much noise in the street at night that I have to sleep in the daytime.

The situation at Sin Sin is affecting my ability to do my job and take care of myself. While the club's owners have a right to make a living, it shouldn't be at the expense of the block's tax-paying residents.

The death of Mr. Thompson outside the club last month was tragic and predictable. I have a sickening sense that there will be more violence. Last Saturday night, September 18 -- really the morning of September 19 -- was the final straw: young people were screaming, fighting, doing drugs and drinking, dancing, and playing their parked car stereos at such high volume that my windows were rattling. Three times, they stopped when the police and/or the Sin Sin staff ushered them away from the middle of the block between Second Avenue and Bowery, and then within ten minutes they returned started up again. I really thought I would go crazy...

Something has to be done to protect the residents as well as our safety and general quality of life, or the neighborhood will change for the worse, all over again.

[Updated: Patrick Hedlund reported on the meeting for DNAinfo. The sister of Devin Thompson confronted the Sin Sin owner about the deadly shooting.

Reminders tonight: the Ninth Precinct Community Counsel meeting

The Precinct is between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

'The neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked'

In early August, residents met Sin Sin's management to voice concerns about ongoing issues with the club at Second Avenue and Fifth Street. The meeting didn't seem to go so well. Per a summary of the meeting provided by the East Fifth Street Block Association:

Sin Sin owner Philip [Quilter] seemed unable to muster any kind of serious commitment to dealing with these problems. He did say he would hire an additional bouncer, but only when pressed. His attitude waffled between saying that Sin Sin takes every reasonable measure to ensure quiet ... to denying that Sin Sin was even responsible for the behavior on the street.

He was promptly told that most everyone in the room has personally witnessed the mayhem emanate from Sin Sin. ... We left the ball in his court, asking him to write out his proposal to remediate the problem, asking him to specifically address security and patrons loitering on the street, and to look at his programming to see if changes could be made there.

Tragedy struck several weeks later when 37-year-old Devin Thompson was shot twice on Second Avenue outside the club on Aug. 22. He died from his wounds on Aug. 31. According to reports, Thompson and the two men police believe are responsible for the shooting were inside the club earlier in the evening on Aug. 22.

Relations between neighbors and the club may just be beyond repair now. In an e-mail to residents dated Aug. 25, Quilter wrote that some of the DJs that the club had hired to play weekend nights had been fired. He continued: "Since that meeting on the 4th, I have personally addressed your concerns and conveyed our ideas on how to better meet your requests with all the personnel at several staff meetings. Also, I have implemented and am enforcing a stricter door policy, I am personally monitoring all our patron's parties including bachelorette, birthdays, etc, at the location and as a result, I believe, the programming of the venue has improved dramatically in just a few short weeks." He also said that Sin Sin was cooperating with police in their investigation.

And how did this go over? Here is the response sent on Friday from Stuart Zamsky, president of the East Fifth Street Block Association:

Thank you for your response. We did, however ask that you give us specific information regarding former and present programmers, DJs or promoters responsible for the various nights at your club, which you refuse to present to us. And, though you would not give any detailed information, when pressed to respond you asked that we “believe you”, that the persons responsible for drawing the violent crowd to your club had been dismissed after our August 4th meeting. In the interim, your patrons have escalated the violence to murdering someone in our streets.

Sir, we do not believe you. Not a word that you say. And, as we said at the meeting on the 4th we have no desire to talk to you or to listen to your hollow promises. Do you think that we do not have eyes and ears? We see the same problematic clientele patronizing your club as before. We are looking for action, and until action is taken, and you begin to court a clientele who is not violent, you will continue to be viewed as a scourge on our otherwise peaceful neighborhood. And, the neighborhood will not rest until you are gone and Sin Sin’s license is revoked.

Meanwhile, next Tuesday, the Block Association is distributing flyers for the Ninth Precinct Community Counsel meeting.



Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

Why the president of the East Fifth Street Block Association carries a baseball bat

We've been writing about some of the issues stemming from Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge on Fifth Street and Second Avenue... In the aftermath of the deadly shooting on this corner on Aug. 22, neighbors reiterated the ongoing problems that they've had from the club.

Per Patrick Hedlund's article today at DNAinfo:

East Fifth Street resident Stuart Zamsky has gotten so fed up with the noise and violence stemming from the nearby nightclub Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge that he’s taken to patrolling the sidewalk with a baseball bat to keep the crowds from disturbing his family.

Visitors to the popular nightspot will often gather outside the window of his two young sons’ room, screaming obscenities and even fighting on busy weekend nights, he said.

Zamsky is the East Fifth Street Block Association.

And here's Sin Sin's take on the issues:

“There have been altercations on the street. It’s a very busy intersection,” said Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge owner Philip Quilter, who supplied the police with surveillance footage of the suspects from the night of the shooting.

“It has been mentioned that we’re responsible entirely [for the noise and violence], and that’s not the case,” he added. “We are responsible for some noise, but we’re the only place to police the streets until 5 o’clock in the morning.”

He said that they will have four or five bouncers on duty during busy weekend nights.

One resident has also taken some videos of a few incidents.... (the altercation begins about the 2-minute mark on this one...)






Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Sin Sin meets the neighbors

This is a brief report on the meeting that took place last Wednesday night starring Sin Sin, the NYPD and local residents...the summary is courtesy of the East Fifth Street Block Association...

During the course of the disorganized meeting, various residents reiterated some of the problems they were experiencing as a result of Sin Sin's method of operation, ranging from people partying in their cars, to crowds on the street, trash and waste deposited by patrons, violence from patrons ... These were not new items being discussed, as they were brought to light recently at CB3 and other meetings.

Sin Sin owner Phillip seemed unable to muster any kind of serious commitment to dealing with these problems. He did say he would hire an additional bouncer, but only when pressed. His attitude waffled between saying that Sin Sin takes every reasonable measure to ensure quiet ... to denying that Sin Sin was even responsible for the behavior on the street.

He was promptly told that most everyone in the room has personally witnessed the mayhem emanate from Sin Sin. ... We left the ball in his court, asking him to write out his proposal to remediate the problem, asking him to specifically address security and patrons loitering on the street, and to look at his programming to see if changes could be made there.

Lt. Ferguson was nearly as bad as the club owner. He recounted statistics that the block association has known for years, and was responsible for bringing to the officials' attention. When asked what the police would/could do for our community, he seemed at a complete loss and said that they were overwhelmed with this sort of thing throughout their/our precinct. He gave out numbers to call ... but his inability to commit to dealing with this problem was disheartening.

The upside of the evening is that there is now an official record, witnessed by the police of the unwillingness of the bar to try to remediate the problem, AND their persistence in denying that they are the cause.

Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

How Lit Lounge is trying to be a better neighbor

NYPD hosting meeting between Sin Sin and neighbors tonight

Lt. Patrick Ferguson of the Ninth Precinct has organized a meeting tonight at 7 between neighbors and Sin Sin's management. The meeting will take place at Sin Sin, 248 E. Fifth St.

In a post from last month, Stuart Zamsky, president of the East Fifth Street Block Association, called the bar combo on the corner of Fifth Street and Second Avenue, a "notoriously bad neighbor." Among the alleged disruptions: "Night after night of screaming, shouting into cell phones and loud music" and "fist fights are a common occurrence." (Their website advertises hosting birthday parties fro groups of 15 to 300.)

Last month, the CB3/SLA committee rejected Sin Sin's liquor license transfer. As Eater reported: "Neighbors came out in full swing ... with 20 showing up to oppose the transfer, claiming that Sin Sin was the source of countless brawls and noise issues in the neighborhood... Things got personal, as CB3 chair Dominic Pisciotta questioned whether the transfer applicants’ background in managing a Dunkin’ Donuts made them unqualified to take on a bar with such a troubled history."

So tonight: Will there be meaningful dialogue that gets to the root of the problem, or will management offer some olive branches such as, say, the cellphone number of the bouncer to call at 4 a.m. when patrons are yelling outside? Perhaps team Sin Sin can speak with the Lit Lounge owners, who have made strides in reducing the quality-of-life issues surrounding their club.

Residents who are directly impacted by Sin Sin are encouraged to attend tonight's meeting.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

How Lit Lounge is trying to be a better neighbor

East Village noise wars new battlefront: Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge

Sin Sin/Leopard Lounge is on the docket for the CB3/SLA meeting next Thursday for a liquor license transfer...

Stuart Zamsky, president of the East Fifth Street Block Association, calls the bar combo on the corner of Fifth Street and Second Avenue, a "notoriously bad neighbor."
Among the alleged disruptions: "Night after night of screaming, shouting into cell phones and loud music" and "fist fights are a common occurrence." (Their website advertises hosting birthday parties fro groups of 15 to 300.)

Zamsky is asking for residents who are directly impacted by Sin Sin and live in close proximity to it (on Fifth Street or Second Avenue) to sign the online petition (and include your building’s address with your signature). The petition is here.

You can also write a short letter entailing the difficulties you experience due to Sin Sin and forward it to Zamsky: east5thstreetba@mail.com

Also, as he notes, you can attend the meeting on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. — JASA/Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery.

If you live in the neighborhood but not necessarily in close proximity to Sin Sin, Zamsky says you can write a short letter entailing the difficulties you experience due to the proliferation of bars in your East Village/Cooper Square neighborhood and forward it to him: east5thstreetba@mail.com.

As Zamsky says: "Sin Sin received its license before the East Fifth Street Block Association began getting asking to agree to stipulations regarding their methods of operation. This license transfer application is the neighborhood’s opportunity to sit down with the operators and get them to agree in writing to conduct their business in a fashion that will allow residents to experience peaceable nights."

Previously, the East Fifth Street Block Association worked with the Lit Lounge owners on becoming better neighbors. You can read about that right here.



P.S.
If you do go the the Sin Sin website, then turn the volume down in advance. Party photo via the Sin Sin website.

Looking for people who are experiencing noise from Lit Lounge

Last Thursday, I noted the steps that Lit Lounge is taking to become a better neighbor... And now the East Fifth Street Block Association has placed signs on Lit Lounge's neighbors on Second Avenue ...



As the sign notes: "Your cooperation will not just help yourself, but future tenants who will come in your wake."



Previously on EV Grieve:
How Lit Lounge is trying to be a better neighbor

Ninth Precinct meets with residents to discuss quality-of-life issues surrounding the Cooper Square Hotel

Deputy Inspector Dennis Dequatro, commanding officer of the Ninth Precinct, met last night with local residents who are concerned about the ongoing quality-of-life issues surrounding the Cooper Square Hotel.

According to Dequatro, Cooper Square Hotel officials have called for a meeting with the Ninth Precinct. The call occurred after the NYPD, State Liquor Authority, Health Department and other agencies visited the hotel on July 2, Dequatro said. Several violations were found, though he couldn't recall the specifics at that moment. (According to public records, the Department of Health issued the hotel 45 violations during a visit on July 16.)

Before hooking up with the hotel, police officials wanted to hear complaints about the hotel firsthand from residents.

Dequatro quickly discussed the nearly four pages of stipulations (they begin on Page 7 here) that the hotel agreed to in order to get CB3 to approve the liquor license. And Dequatro explained the difference between laws and stipulations, which are really just a civil agreement. Or something. If there's a violation of the stipulations, then the only recourse is to notify the State Liquor Authority (SLA), who will take it under advisement.

"Other agencies have allowed [the hotel] to open a business next to your windows," Dequatro said. "It's not going to be an easy thing to enforce...to correct. We can't work magic."

The residents, nearly 20 total (also in attendance -- Stuart Zamsky, head of the East Fifth Street Block Association, and Susan Stetzer, CB3 district manager) then chimed in with their stories.

One resident talked about the blowout this past Saturday afternoon on the hotel's increasingly notorious 21st-floor penthouse, apparently available for private events. The thump-thump-thump was deafening down on Fifth Street, the resident said. "No one could stand out there there without getting their eardrums blown out." When she went to complain, a hotel hostess dismissed her with the wave of a hand, she said.



Regarding the Saturday bash, another resident said he went to the hotel to complain, but no one would summon the manager for him. Anyway, the employee told the resident that he couldn't do anything because the hotel was paid $20,000 for use of the penthouse.

Another party raged Sunday night until 11, a resident said. A Sixth Street occupant said, "You get girls screaming off the penthouse. I can hear what the DJ is saying." And she lives on the first floor.

While Dequatro is aware of noise issues from the balcony and back garden, he was surprised to hear about the 21st-floor penthouse. "I wasn't aware this space existed until 10 minutes ago," he said. Some residents said that they were never told about plans for a penthouse during community meetings with hotel officials before the Cooper Square opened.



Meanwhile, down below: One Sixth Street garden-level resident said hotel guests throw cigarette butts and trash over the fence and into her yard.

Dequatro took the names of any residents willing to let the NYPD into their homes with sound meters during a hotel penthouse party (or elsewhere). However, the NYPD sound meters can't measure the bass coming from the speakers on the penthouse -- a source of many of the residents' complaints. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has the sound meters for this, though that agency, with a smaller staff, takes longer to respond, Dequatro said.

No date has been set for a meeting between the Ninth Precinct and the hotel.

In the end, Dequatro said he knew what residents were going through. "I understand that there are frustrations...I understand that there are tensions."

For further reading:
Residents discuss the problems created by the Cooper Square Hotel: Meanwhile, across the street, a party for a sports car (EV Grieve)

Notes from the Backside (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Party at Cooper Square Hotel (EV Grieve)

A quick follow-up to Tuesday night's Cooper Square Hotel meeting

As you know, on Tuesday night, the East Fifth Street Block Association had a community meeting with Matthew Moss, principal of the Peck Moss Hotel Group, the developer of the Cooper Square Hotel. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and raise any concerns about the hotel's impact on the neighborhood. Several community leaders were in attendance, including CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer and SLA & DCA Licensing Chair Alexandra Militano. I asked Stuart Zamsky, head of the East Fifth Street Block Association, two questions in a follow-up e-mail.

I wanted to get your thoughts on how you think the meeting went. Do you think some progress was made?

I think the meeting went well. I think the community was civil yet persuasive. And, I think that Stetzer and Militano were great assets who were clear and decisive in their thoughts. And, I think it sank in to the hotel/Matt.

The one thing that was missing (and has been missing from the whole process) is a strong showing by 207 [E. Fifth St.] residents. This was their strongest showing yet, but it was too little too late. I am dumbfounded at their lack of verve and participation, considering what they have at stake.

What were you thoughts when you saw the party afterwards at the Cooper for the $280,000 DBS Volante Convertible?

The cause of the party did not faze me. It's a ritzy hotel and will host high-end clients for special events. Rich/poor...that's NYC. That it went on too late, in a noisy fashion, and seemed unstoppable is worrisome.