Trashquake

Something called "Fashion Now! Youthquake" camped out on Avenue A between Seventh Street and Sixth Street today. There were two buses and a truck or two. Not much was going on the times that I passed by...



After the group left, though, the remnants from their catering ended up on the sidewalk and street.



Also, thanks to RatherBeBiking in the comments...As he noted: "Well, not only was the … ‘quake… responsible for a load of trash, their VIPs TLC hires blocked up the bike lane, one of them taking up part of the pedestrian crosswalk, bike box, AND bike lane on Avenue a for more than a few minutes."

The New York Post discovers the East Village, squats

The Post has an exclusive cover story today about the city turning over the rights to the former LES squat Bullet Space to its residents.

It's difficult to tell how the paper feels about this.

The article begins:

Sometimes crime does pay.

The exclusive two-page spread includes an opinion piece by Henry Stern, the former city parks commissioner who is president of the nonprofit group New York Civic.

His take?

[G]ving away buildings in lower Manhattan to people who break into them and declare themselves owners should not be considered the new public policy of the city of New York.

Over the years, squatting, like graffiti, has been romanticized as an expression of popular will and an assault on the establishment. That may be true -- but it is not the best way to allocate scarce housing among a large and deserving population.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Bullet Space is the first of the former LES squats to take over ownership of building from city

Reader reaction to the New York Post piece on Bullet Space

The best parts of today's exclusive in the Post? The reader comments!

Among them:

pfflyer312@aol.com wrote:
They should have been tear gassed out years ago. These people have stolen from
all of us. While the rest of us pay through our noses, they get off scott free...
5/17/2009 11:15 AM EDT

CJC wrote:
On top of it all, the city gives them a 40 year break from having to pay taxes ...this is nothing short of legalized theft. Gee, I wonder why taxes are so absurd in NY State and City ?
5/17/2009 10:58 AM EDT

gigii wrote:
DISGUSTING - these people are no different than Bernie Madoff - they are stealing that which is not theirs and why would you even print it. They should hang their heads in shame for stealing.
5/17/2009 10:32 AM EDT

ARM wrote:
THERE IS JUST NO REAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA TODAY. I,M SURE IF ANYONE I KNOW WAS TO TRY SQUATTING IN AN ABANDON BUILDING THEY'D BE RUN OFF OUT OF THERE IN A MATTER OF DAYS. IF THE BUILDING WAS IN SUCH DIRE STRAIGHTS, WHY DIDN'T THE CITY DO IT'S JOB BACK IN THE 80'S AND RUN THEM OFF, CONDEMN AND TEAR DOWN THE BUILDING THEN? OH, I REMEMBER NOW, WE WERE IN YET ANOTHER FINANCIAL CRISIS THEN, TOO. GREENWICH VILLAGE, THIS IS PRIME REAL ESTATE, HOW NICE FOR THESE BUMS; AND YES THE LAW BIDING TAX PAYING MIDDLE CLASS PERSON GETS SCREWED YET AGAIN.
5/17/2009 10:18 AM EDT

Davis Rose wrote:
cant bloomy think of a way to kick these losers out
5/17/2009 8:57 AM EDT

And Aaron "The Pie Man" Kay checks in:

pieman420 wrote:
i do support my friends the squatters in keeping the gentrifiers from forcing more poor people into "avenue e"-the east river as a way to make the east village into millionaires row!!!never!!!!the east village has ahistory based on disent, immigration and free speech!! let it still be a liberated zomne!!! yippie!!
5/17/2009 9:42 AM EDT

In case you missed the two street fairs last weekend, or will be away for the five street fairs next weekend, or the weekend after that...

Starts at Third Avenue and 14th Street...runs up to???? Inwood? Westchester? Maine?

Day 3

Noted

Holy rollers

"During the peak of the real estate boom, one of New York’s largest landowners unloaded more than $100 million worth of property — and might have sold more if not for the parishioners who clung to their churches and blocked the bulldozers. The seller was the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, which closed more than two dozen houses of worship and schools between 2003 and 2008." (The New York Times)

Dance Parade 2009 in Tompkins Square Park

I'd upload more photos from the event, but I have Dance Fever. Slum Goddess has photos...so does Melanie...and Runnin' Scared.

More photos from the Dance Parade 2009

I may also have my files mixes up.

Day Two

Details.

The recession's hot sellers: running shoes, Spam, Dinty Moore, tanning products

Another recession-related trends story. (AP)

If our Lord wasn't testing us, how would you account for the proliferation ... of this obscene dance music, with its gospel of ... relaxed morality?

Heh. Anyway, the Dance Parade Web site seems to be on the fritz at the moment... So to other sources for this reminder:

DANCE PARADE presents New York City's Third Annual Dance Parade!

All are invited to join us in a historic event demonstrating that dance truly is an expressive form of art. The third annual New York City Dance Parade will attract nearly 7,000 dancers and twice as many supporters to the streets of Manhattan on Saturday, May 16th in celebration of culture, community and the art of movement.

Performances by dance companies and individual dancers will range from Ballet to Breakdance, the Hustle to Club. Colorful floats, live bands and DJs will waltz, tango and pirouette down Broadway from 32nd Street, past Union Square, across Saint Marks Place and end at Tompkins Square Park with a dance festival finale in the park through sunset.

The parade will run from 1pm - 3pm and the festival from 3pm - 7pm. This is a free event.

Meanwhile, the streets are prepped... What are the cops expecting?