Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Unable to attend today's No Kings day-of-action rally starting in Bryant Park, Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw of Split Britches held their own on the Bowery and Fourth Street today.

This East Village resident is holding a one-man protest against landlord Steve Croman

Updated 12/28:

The management company has replaced the toilet with a working one, and did some cosmetic paint cover up in the bathroom. However, the tenants say there are still 16 outstanding HPD violations to address.

Thomas Hasler lives at 127 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Hasler, a public high school teacher who has been working remotely, and his roommate, Brian Kenner, have not had a properly working toilet since Nov. 12 ... the latest indignity on behalf of the building's landlord, Steve Croman ... which prompted Hasler to launch a one-man protest outside No. 127 on Sunday.

"I will go out every day after I finish my remote teaching to let the neighborhood and folks in our building know," Hasler told me via email.

Aside from the toilet, Croman's management company also removed the lock from the building's front door at the height of the looting this past summer, Hasler said. (The reason given: "There were complaints that packages can not get delivered inside.")

Croman was released from jail in June 2018 after serving eight months for mortgage and tax fraud. In a separate civil case with the AG's office, Croman agreed to pay $8 million to the tenants he was accused of bullying out of their rent-regulated apartments. 

As part of a settlement agreement, Croman agreed to relinquish direct control of his 100-plus rental buildings — including 47 with 617 units in the East Village — for the next five years. ... with NYC Management — a division of the Besen Group — serving as the property manager. 

According to a published report at The Real Deal in October 2019, "The notorious landlord is back in action and hasn't changed his ways" since his release from behind bars.

"Harassing rent-controlled tenants in our building has a long history," Hasler said. "The goal is to get us out and to convert the last remaining units into market-rate units. That's it in a nutshell."

Kenner, the leaseholder on the apartment, has lived in the building for 36 years. During the holidays, he has been working seven days a week. 

"So Thomas was bold and fearless enough to organize himself," Kenner said. "I will gladly participate in anything that takes place after my work is done for the day."

According to the two tenants, NYC Management reps have stated there is a "process" to go through to replace the toilet, now scheduled for Christmas Eve. (After seeing our tweet yesterday about this, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office contacted Hasler as well as the AG's office.)

However, the roommates aren't expecting much. "The date seems pretty meaningless," Kenner said. "Who is there to enforce this date? I believe [their] style would be to promise 'relief' on the day before Christmas, and then not show up."

And how have they been making do these past seven weeks?

"So we use buckets to flush the toilet with hardly any water pressure ... while the market-rent tenant below us who was flooded by our broken toilet on Nov. 11 or Nov. 12 got his damage repaired immediately," Hasler said. "So you end up feeling powerless and harassed. And they think they can get away with it."

Breonna Taylor

Protests broke out around the city — and elsewhere in the country — yesterday after the news that none of the three officers involved in Breonna Taylor's death were charged with her killing. 

A Kentucky grand jury charged Officer Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into Taylor's neighbors' homes during the raid on the night of March 13. 

One of the NYC protests — a group estimated to number in the thousands — traveled down Second Avenue from 14th Street before turning west on Third Street to Broadway. 

EVG contributor Stacie joy shared this video clip from Second Avenue around 10:30 p.m. ... as the protestors chanted "Breonna Taylor — say her name" ...

 

 

"I was surprised by just how many people were there, and also by the astounding police presence," Stacie said. "I haven't seen that many police vehicles mobilizing for a protest in a long time. My entire time at the protest was orderly and peaceful." 

There were no reports of arrests related to the protests citywide, per published reports.

These East Village venues are open today for protestors

As part of the Open Your Lobby campaign that we've been reporting on (here and here and here).

The venues are supplying protestors with water and snacks as well as letting them use their restrooms.

Check @openyourlobby on Instagram for updates every day at noon.

Scenes from peaceful protests in Union Square

Thousands (and thousands) of people took part in peaceful demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality across the city this weekend as the anger over the death of George Floyd continues to show little sign of abating.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy has been at Union Square, and shared these photos from the weekend...

































The Instagram account @justiceforgeorgenyc has centralized information and daily updates on protests in NYC.

Metrograph and Club Cumming are open to protestors this weekend

The independent cinema down at 7 Ludlow St. is opening its lobby this weekend (2-6 p.m.) for people taking part in peaceful protests... offering up water and other supplies as well as use of the theater's restrooms.

Metrograph is the latest arts-theater space to take part in the growing Open Your Lobby campaign... other neighborhood participants include the Public Theater ... the New York Theatre Workshop ... and Performance Space New York.

For updated lists on NYC protests, you can visit @justiceforgeorgenyc. And you can make a sign today (starting at noon, and they have supplies) at Amy Van Doran's Modern Love Club, 156 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Updated:

Club Cumming on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is also open to protestors...

View this post on Instagram

We are here if you need us 1pm-5pm Water, Snacks, PPE, First Aid, Restroom #openyourlobby #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Club Cumming (@clubcumming) on Jun 6, 2020 at 8:15am PDT

On the march

Thank you to East Village-based photographer Gudrun Georges for sharing these images from before, during and after some of the peaceful protests this past week...

On 4th Street, the New York Theatre Workshop opens its door to protestors

The New York Theatre Workshop on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery recently opened its doors for protestors during non-curfew hours.

The theater, currently closed during the COVID-19 crisis, is letting protestors inside to use its restrooms and supplying them with free water and snacks as well as providing them with an opportunity to recharge their phones.

As Deadline reported, this move inspired the Open Your Lobby campaign, which is calling on shutdown theaters "to repurpose their spaces in support of protesters nationwide fighting racism and injustice."

In support of #BlackLivesMattter and the many protesters nationwide fighting racism and injustice RIGHT NOW, we challenge theaters to #OpenYourLobby. pic.twitter.com/kmEU5oZzo9

— Open Your Lobby (@openyourlobby) June 3, 2020

Nearly 10 other Off-Broadway theaters have joined in, including the Public Theater on Lafayette. (Find an updated spreadsheet of open venues here.)

NYC, we hear you. If you are heading out to protest today, our restrooms are open from 2pm to 6pm today, June 3. We will have staff volunteers on hand to help facilitate social distancing.

— The Public Theater (@PublicTheaterNY) June 3, 2020

Earlier in the week, the New York Theatre Workshop shared this message of solidarity with the community...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by New York Theatre Workshop (@nytw79) on May 30, 2020 at 7:30pm PDT

Lower East Side against police brutality

Here are more scenes from the protest that started on Avenue D and Ninth Street on Monday night ... one of the many peaceful gatherings citywide against police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

East Village-based photographer Kyle de Vre took these photos from several stops along the march, including East Houston Street and the FDR...

Starbucks on Astor Place hit again; arrests reported nearby

For the second night, people smashed the windows at the Starbucks on Astor Place... here's a look at the space this morning...



The Foot Locker around the corner on Broadway was reportedly looted, which explains the empty Nike boxes spotted here...



People also broke windows at nearby Astor Place businesses, including the FedEx store, Sweetgreen and Blue Bottle Coffee.

Overall, ABC 7 described it as "a quiet night in New York City, with looters largely absent."

The NYPD used several tactics overnight to crack down on the looting that has plagued the city in recent nights, including arresting non-protesting groups of people after the 8 p.m. curfew went into effect.

If police approached those groups, officials say, many tried to run. Police say they found items like bats and hammers on those they arrested.

The NYPD is reporting 280 arrests.

And some of those arrests occurred on Astor Place and St. Mark's Place, as the NYPD rounded up protestors, and people using the protests as cover, out past the designated 8 p.m. curfew, which is in effect through Sunday. Journalist Bucky Turco reported what he saw via Twitter...

Astor Place Starbucks pic.twitter.com/sAgYxth0nS

— Bucky Turco (@buckyturco) June 3, 2020

Police move in to make arrests on Bowery/St. Mark’s-Astor Place, beat protester with their night sticks. pic.twitter.com/8rilIYV31p

— Bucky Turco (@buckyturco) June 3, 2020

During a short walk through the neighborhood this morning, we didn't spot any signs of break ins or damaged storefronts ... outside of the AP Starbucks...

Scenes from the start of last night's peaceful protest on Avenue D

Hundreds of people gathered last evening on Avenue D and Ninth Street — one of the many peaceful gatherings citywide against police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The starting point for this protest is also the spot where several NYPD officers were involved in violent arrests on May 2.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was at the start of the protest, which moved along Ninth Street to Avenue C and eventually to East Houston... the final stop was the Barclay's Center...