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!

East Village volunteers expand their outreach to feed more neighbors in need

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

A team of East Village residents who recently formed East Village Loves Queens, a volunteer-run mission to help feed our neighbors in Queens, has branched out to also supplying meals to individuals and families in the East Village.

I stopped by to talk with Sasha Allenby, one of the founders, and to see the team’s work at its new location on Sixth Street.

How did it come about that East Village Loves Queens moved from Ali’s kitchen at C&B Cafe on Seventh Street to the Sixth Street Community Center? What’s the operation like at the new location?

We moved to Sixth Street when Ali’s shop was recently vandalized. Howard [Brandstein, executive director] was kind enough to open his doors to us. There is much more space at the Community Center so we can have more volunteers. We could only have a handful of people in C&B and still practice social distancing.

Since we have moved to the center, we have increased our numbers. At C&B we could make a maximum of 800 portions in a day. On a recent Sunday we made 2,000 portions, plus 500 sandwiches! With the extra space we are able to have several different production lines going.

How long do you plan to provide meals for East Village residents?

As long as our fundraising continues, then we will continue the project. We cook on Saturdays for the residents of Queens, and Tuesdays for East Village residents.







How many meals are you making and how often?

For the Hungry Monk project in Queens we make around 2,000-2,500 meals per week. For the East Village residents, we made 350 this [past] week. We made chicken parm with pasta, and summer vegetable pasta. We always try to have both a vegetarian and a meat-based option for local residents.

Where are you getting your supplies from? If folks wish to help, how best can they do that?

Restaurant Depot. However, some supplies are donated by local residents or businesses. Sunny and Annie’s, C&B Café, Kafana, and Tompkins Square Bagels have all donated to us.

If people want to help they can donate at this link or get in touch with us at evlovesqueens@gmail.com if they have any goods or services that they can offer. [East Village Loves Queens has just joined Instagram too.]











Previously on EV Grieve:
These East Village residents are helping feed families in Queens during the COVID-19 crisis

An art collaboration to help support the Sixth Street Community Center

Report: These 12th Street residents are going on 5 months without gas for cooking

A handful of residents at 327 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue have not had any gas for cooking since February, the Daily News reported.

The article focused on longtime building resident Georgina Christ.

[She] hasn’t been able to use her stove since February. And for her, that means no home-cooked bone broth — and more trips to the grocery store for provisions at a time she’d rather stay in.

"It makes me have to go out more," said the 70-year-old, who's lived on the fifth floor of a sixth-story walk up since 1971. "I find I'm having to walk in the middle of the street to avoid people who are drinking and hanging out on the sidewalk without face masks."

Christ and at least four other tenants are without cooking gas.

Last week, local elected officials — Sen. Brad Hoylman, Congresswoman Carolyn Mahoney, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Assembly Member Deborah Glick and City Council Member Carlina Rivera — sent a letter to the building's management, Silverstone Property Group.



The letter reads in part:

The provision of reliable gas service is a crucial responsibility for property management companies and landlords regardless of the circumstances, but especially during the ongoing pandemic. Additionally, four of these tenants fall squarely within the demographics proven to be most vulnerable to COVID-19, and it is wrong to require them to continually risk exposure to the virus simply to secure meals.

We strongly urge Silverstone Property Group to restore gas service to these tenants as soon as possible and provide them with a 15% rent abatement, standard for diminution of services of this kind, for the period of time that they have been without gas service. These are stressful, difficult times for everyone, and these tenants shouldn’t have to worry about how they will be able to cook their meals on top of the other burdens that so many tenants are currently facing.

Silverstone did provide hot plates, though they reportedly aren't too functional.

A Silverstone spokesperson told the News that they are "ready, willing and able to repair the gas lines at the property as soon as possible."

However: "In order to do so, the property must be vacated according to engineering experts Silverstone has consulted."

Christ said that she is skeptical, and thinks this is "a ploy to empty the building and jack up rents."

No. 327 was among the many East Village properties that disgraced landlord Raphael Toledano owned at one point during his local building grab. He had been accused of harassing rent-stabilized tenants in a bid to vacate and deregulate units in them.

In 2017, a subsidiary of lender Madison Realty Capital took over the portfolio. As of January, Toledano was still mired in bankruptcy proceedings with Madison Realty Capital, per reports.

The listing at Streeteasy describes the building this way:

Most units have been gut-renovated with innovative and luxury finishes. Our design team works to create a rustic/modern look to appeal to a vast array of tastes and lifestyles. 327 East 12th Street is a building combined with beautiful high ceilings that provide an abundance of natural light and fresh air into each residence. Amazing Features Include:

•Wall-mounted 40 inch flat screen TV and soundbar pre-installed in every residence
•Washer and Dryer in every residence
•Ambiance-setting light dimmers

A sister property at 325 E. 12th St. has also suffered cooking-gas blackouts.

[Updated] Julie's Vintage has closed

In recent weeks you've likely noticed that not one but three for rent signs hang in the storefront that was Julie's Vintage on Second Street just west of First Avenue ...



... and yesterday, the remaining mannequins inside the shop (and other items) were shown the curb...



No official word on the status of the shop, whose website domain has expired. There aren't any recent posts on the shop's Instagram account either.

Julie Erinc, a former designer, debuted here during the winter of 2016. By the summer of 2018, store closing signs arrived outside... but they ended up staying open until the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

Updated:

Erin confirmed the closure in an Instagram message, which read in part:

"Yes, I closed permanently. Rent is too high. And [the landlord] refused to negotiate. I can not pay rent on the months I was ordered to close! My landlord wants back due rent in all the months I was closed. It’s ridiculous.

It’s really a shame. All the small businesses will close and only the monopolies like Amazon and Walmart will get bigger and bigger. They were allowed to stay open while small businesses were ordered to close ... Meanwhile your landlords want back due rent while you were closed. Nothing really makes sense at all."

Re-openings: Juicy Lucy returns to 1st Street

Juicy Lucy reopened yesterday for the warmer-weather months at its tropical-looking shack on First Street and First Avenue.

For now, their hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday... where you can find a variety of to-go items, including juices and coffee – similar to their outpost on Avenue A between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The Juicy Lucy at First and First opened in 1996 (the Avenue A location in 2000).

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to Juicy Lucy on Avenue A (May 6)

An LES blood drive tomorrow (Thursday!)

An EVG reader shared this flyer... one of many around for a blood drive tomorrow (Thursday!) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clemente Center on Suffolk and Rivington sponsored by the New York Blood Center.

The nonprofit has put out an urgent call for blood donations. You need to make an appointment by calling 1-800-933-2566.

June 17

Not one but two discarded Christmas trees spotted this afternoon on Avenue A at Sixth Street by peter radley, who asks: "Is that 'Jingle Bells' i can hear?"

Michal Gamily’s 'Mashawsha to go' from an East Village fire escape

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

During the COVID-19 PAUSE this spring, Michal Gamily got creative and launched an old-school "mashawsha to go" business from her fire escape.

"You will find it a very unique East Village experience," Gamily says. Indeed.

I recently texted her to make an appointment and meet neighbors Roni and Peddy Pery there when they were picking up their mashawsha (hummus in the Israeli and Palestinian style). The homemade vegan treat is sold by weight — a medium-size container (you bring your own) is $10.







She started the side business while temporarily out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an actor, series director and curator at LaMama.

Gamily makes it fresh every day and sells it from her Avenue C fire escape via basket — a contact-free experience. It’s a traditional Middle-Eastern treat made here with organic chickpeas, garlic, homemade tahini, olive oil, cumin, lemon, parsley, and other spices plus the soaking liquid from the chickpeas. She recommends serving it with pita bread, but says it’s also great with pickles, vegetables, falafel, in a lafa (wrap) or served with hard-boiled egg.





Roni and Peddy, who, like Gamily, originally hail from Israel, tell me that the mashawsha "really respects the bean, that she lets the chickpeas speak and be celebrated." Mashawsha or msabbaha means both to mix and swimming in Arabic, and in this style the whole chickpeas are swimming in the hummus.

Gamily asks for a 24-hour order notice, and you can place your order by text at 646.221.5082 or email at gamilym@icloud.com.

She reminds me that she only sells mashawsha, nothing else. And classic style, "No fava bean or one made with pine nuts. The real deal only."