On 2nd thought

After reopening the playgrounds and the ballfield/TF in Tompkins Square Park yesterday... workers locked them up again later in the day... there was some mixed messaging, as workers said they'd be back open Monday... with signage pointing to a reopening tomorrow (Sunday!) after a cleaning...

Making their mark on St. Mark's Place

A look at the new murals that went up Thursday on the north side of St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue...


[@dos_wallnuts]


[@jillyballistic]


[@sacsix]


[@robotswillkill, @chrisrwk & @zeroproductivity]




[@albert_diaz1]


[@reggiewarlock]

Friday's parting shot

A moment on Eighth Street via Dave on 7th Street...

Unsilent night

Christmas 1982 with Bad Brains at CBGB. The video is for "Big Takeover."

At the Juneteenth protest on Astor Place

Peaceful protestors gathered early this Juneteenth afternoon at the Alamo on Astor Place for what was billed as a "Defund the NYPD March" ... with a final destination of City Hall Park. (This was one of more than a dozen protests today just in Manhattan.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos ...

[Updated] The playgrounds and ballparks are back open in Tompkins Square Park

Updated 6/20: Now closed until 6/21!

After two-plus months, the playgrounds in Tompkins Square Park are back open today ... ditto for the ballfields/TF in the northwest corner... (thanks to Steven for the photos!)



The basketball courts are also open, but the city isn't returning the rims just yet...



P.S.

The dog run is still closed...

Curb your enthusiasm: A look at more East Village businesses with their doors back open

[Trash & Vaudeville, 7th Street]

Back on Monday, EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared a sampling of the East Village businesses that were back open for curbside sales as part of the blessed Phase 1.

In this sequel post, Stacie shares a few more of the retail operations up and running again (and yes — several businesses here had been open previously, including Sunny & Annie's and Book Club)...


[Sunny's Florist, 6th Street]


[Downtown Yarns, Avenue A]


[Limited to One, 10th Street]


[Bali Kitchen, 4th Street]


[The Juicy Lucy kiosk, 1st Street]


[East Village Acupuncture, 2nd Street]


[Sunny & Annie's, Avenue B]


[Book Club Bar, 3rd Street]


[VorteXity Books, Avenue A]


[Red Gate Bakery, 1st Street]


[Kolkata Chai Co., 3rd Street]

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village businesses reopen their doors for curbside pickup

Tomorrow is the deadline for the East Village community raffle benefitting Black Lives Matter

[Photos at East Village Postal by Stacie Joy]

As we reported last week, the folks at East Village Postal, 151 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street, have organized a community raffle to raise funds for Black Lives Matter.

The raffle ends at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday night!). Winners will be announce on Sunday.

A reminder how it works:

100 percent of all ticket sales will be donated to Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp and the Equal Justice Initiative.

Each ticket is $5. For multiple entries, please purchase in increments $5. You can purchase tickets by venmo @eastvillageraffle and leave your email or phone number so that we can contact you if you win. To purchase tickets in cash, please purchase your ticket at our shop.

Visit this link for a list of all the raffle prizes, which include gift cards to East Village Organic, Flower Power Herbs & Roots, Veselka, Takahachi, Mr. Throwback, Superiority Burger, Abraco and Azaleas, among many others.

Drivers keep moving, and now breaking, the Open Streets barricades on Avenue B

Since late May, Avenue B has been closed to through traffic from Sixth Street to 14th Street (from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) ... as part of the city's Open Street plan to help residents get some fresh air while social distancing.

However, in recent weeks, we continue to hear reports about drivers moving the barricades to access the street... for instance...

Disappointing that angry drivers keep removing the barricades to our NYC open streets when local walkers, cyclists & kids are craving more outdoor space to safely distance. More of them than cars here, last I checked.

Grateful for grassroots enforcement 🙏🏽 https://t.co/mnu7NK469t

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) June 13, 2020

... and most recently, a driver in a van broke the barricades that were up at 12th Street... EVG reader Russell K. shared these photos of the aftermath...





Updated 11 a.m.

Dave on 7th shared these from Seventh and B...

I Need More will close next month

[Photo from 2017 for EVG by Walter Wlodarczyk]

I Need More, the rock 'n' roll boutique that Jimmy Webb owned and operated on Orchard Street, will close next month after three-plus years the shop announced this week.

Webb, once referred to as "punk rock's unofficial shopkeeper" during his tenure at Trash & Vaudeville on St. Mark's Place, died on April 14 of cancer. He was 62.

The store is currently open, through July, for curbside pickup from noon to 4 p.m.

Here's their closing notice...

View this post on Instagram

I NEED MORE Will Always Be A Rock N Roll Clothing Store That is All About The Spirit Of New York City … Past, Present And Future !!! It Was Conceived Within The Heart And Birthed On The Essence Of Art, Music, Freedom And Everything Else That Colors The World !!! : ) With That Being Said ... We’re Taking Our Final Bow ... Closing Up the Shop Late July 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 We Want to Thank You for Brightening Up Our Lives for the Last Two and Half Years and Being a Part of Jimmy’s Baby !!! As Jimmy Would Say “SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA JUMP UP AND SIT BESIDE THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOT ONLY GRACED YOUR LIFE BUT SHARED THEIR SPECIAL GIFT WITH THE WORLD AND CREATED HISTORY !!!” 💕 I Need More is Everything That’s Real, Raw, Energetic, Welcoming, Passionate, Dirty, Beautiful and Most of All ... Honest ... And We Hope You Keep That Spirit Alive !!! : ) #WeLiveRockNRollForever 💕💕 P.S. As a Final Gift to You All We Are Offering a 20-50% Off Sale on All Online Items !!! 💕💕 xxx, The I Need More Team @rudeinblaq @axlvalentine @leticiaisnothere @chynagay

A post shared by I NEED MORE (@ixneedxmore) on Jun 17, 2020 at 5:59am PDT

In what turned out to be a last hurrah in late February, the shop hosted a “Footprints in February” celebration, in which Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop put their handprints, footprints and autographs in concrete on the floor of I Need More...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Godlis (@godlis) on Apr 14, 2020 at 4:11pm PDT

Grant Shaffer's NY See

This week's NY See panel is a tribute to Marsha P. Johnson, a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.

Here's what East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer had to say:

Where would we be without the enduring activism of Marsh P. Johnson? Without her, we wouldn’t be living as openly and loudly today. We owe our freedom to Marsha, and to honor her legacy this Pride month, we must continue that struggle. Here’s to Black trans women and trans women of color, we stand with you in the fight for full equality!