Memorial outside St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery defaced again

Last night, someone defaced the memorial outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery at 10th Street and Second Avenue — crossing out the message "Our dignity cannot be erased" and writing "Shame on Display" across the sign, next to a cat face. 

The memorial honors Renee Nicole Good and others who have died as a result of immigration enforcement. 

The altered message stands in stark contrast to the memorial's call for dignity. 

This marks the second time in recent days that someone has vandalized the memorial. It was also tagged over the weekend. 

Church officials responded Sunday evening, replacing the display with a new banner that read: "We will not keep silent. Our dignity cannot be erased." In the days that followed, residents added further tributes, which someone blacked out. 

Thank you to the EVG reader for the photo.

Renee Nicole Good memorial vandalized outside St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery

Photo from Jan. 12 by Stacie Joy 

In recent days, someone vandalized the memorial honoring Renee Nicole Good and others who have died as a result of immigration enforcement outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery at 10th Street and Second Avenue.

Church officials responded in an Instagram post last evening, writing: "Our dignity cannot be erased."

 

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A post shared by St. Mark's Church in the Bowery (@stmarksbowery)

Local City Council Member Harvey Epstein also documented the damage...

 

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A post shared by Council Member Harvey Epstein (@harveyforny)

A banner now hangs outside the church reading: "We will not keep silent. Our dignity cannot be erased." (Photos yesterday by Steven.)

... alongside an RIP message for Good, a 37-year-old mother of three originally from Colorado who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

On Jan. 12, faith leaders and community members gathered at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery for a Vigil of Lament and Hope honoring Good and others. The service included prayers, reflections, music and moments of silence, bringing together clergy and neighbors from multiple faith communities across the city.

The memorial for Good began to grow in the days after her death.

Community gathers at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery for a 'Vigil of Lament and Hope'

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Last night, faith leaders and community members gathered at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on 10th Street and Second Avenue for a Vigil of Lament and Hope, honoring the life of Renee Nicole Good and mourning lives lost or harmed through immigration enforcement. 

The vigil included prayers, spoken reflections, music, and moments of silence, bringing together clergy and neighbors from multiple faith communities across the city. 

A memorial wall was displayed on the gate outside the church, filled with photos, prayers, flowers and candles in tribute to Good and others who have died in ICE custody or as a result of immigration enforcement.

Organizers described the gathering as a communal act of witness, emphasizing the importance of truth-telling, human dignity and shared grief at a time when such deaths are often met with silence or distortion.

Participating faith leaders represented St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, Middle Collegiate Church, Judson Memorial Church, and Trinity Lutheran Church on the Lower East Side, as well as community organizations including the New York Immigration Coalition and the Lower East Side Care Coalition.

Monday's parting shot

Daylight fades along Second Avenue... with St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery in the background...

'Gifts of the Magi' — and Chesney the camel! — at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery

Thursday afternoon saw a production of "Gifts of the Magi" at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery in 10th Street at Second Avenue ... sponsored by the Henry Street Settlement and Trinity Church Wall Street... 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the church before the performance was underway (the festivities began with a parade here from Haven Plaza on 11th Street and Avenue C) ...

Cast member Chesney, a 5-year-old camel from Pennsylvania (here with his trainer Jason Martin of Home School Camels), attracted the most attention... as Stacie said: "Everybody loved Chesney."

David Duchovny's childhood room with a graveyard view on 2nd Avenue

On the occasion of his new novel, The New Yorker has a short interview in this week's issue (meant to note this in the links wrap on Thursday!) with David Duchovny. For the article, the star of "The X-Files" and "Californication" revisits the East Village of his youth. He grew up across the way from St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue and 10th Street. (His mother still lives nearby.)

Excerpt!

"See the lights on the corner there? On the third floor? Two windows down. That was my bedroom, and this was my view." He gestured toward the churchyard. "It’s a weird view. It's a graveyard. We used to play baseball there. The headstones were flat, and we used them as bases." Just then, the bells began to chime. "Wow," he said. "I'm gonna dissolve."

Read the piece here.  

Photo via @davidduchovny

The Poetry Project's 47th annual New Year's Day Marathon will be a livestream extravaganza

A different vibe for this year's annual New Year's Day reading at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street. 

Here's what to expect via there EVG inbox...

Join 250 poets, artists and performers at The Poetry Project's 47th Annual New Year's Day Marathon. 11 p.m. (ET) New Year's Eve – 11 p.m. (ET) New Year's Day.

This year's gathering combines poetry readings with hypnosis, DJ sets and music videos, ritual offerings, celebrations of place and history, cooking segments, short films, archival media and more.

The Marathon begins New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) with an 11 pm-to-midnight countdown, a broadcast of live performances, and a special feature from the clocktower of St. Mark's. And continues all through New Year's Day (Jan. 1) up until 11 p.m. with an continuous assemblage of performances recorded for this year's Marathon.

The event will be be available online FREE via The Poetry Project's Facebook Live and The Poetry Project YouTube live accounts.

RSVP here.

Naming the Lost at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery

Given the pandemic, the Annual Day of Dead festival is not happening over at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on 10th Street and Second Avenue this year.

Instead, Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders and Naming The Lost created a memorial to remember local residents who died of COVID-19...

The memorial is now on the church fence... and will be here through Monday...

The church's website has more information about the project at this link.

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the information...