Saturday's parting shots

Photo by Derek Berg 

[Updated] A few scenes from during the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade this afternoon (find more photos here) ...

An afternoon look at 7th Street and Avenue B

Photo by Robert Miner 

At the height of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade this afternoon...

How to tote around the Essex Card Shop with you

Photo by Stacie Joy

The folks at Essex Card Shop, 47 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street, continue to unveil some new merch... owner Muhammad Aslam showed us the new tote bags ($24.99) the other day. 

Like the t-shirts, it features an illustration by Joel Holland with the signage from the previous storefront at 39 Avenue A.  

Saturday's opening shots

Workers were out early in Tompkins Square Park this morning erecting the stage for the Halloween Dog Parade. (Details here.) It is a rain or shine event, so it's on. 

Also, half (or so) of the Park lights remain off...

Also, for anyone working on a screenplay. Remember: The opening scene of a film script introduces the audience to the story's characters, setting and inciting incident... it was a dark and stormy morning...

Lastly, in case you didn't see the No Parking notices along Avenue B or on Seventh Street between A and B, the city likely towed your vehicle...

Friday's parting shot

Fourth Street Goth Club...

'Vapor' trail

 

Been looking for some new Halloween-seasonal music videos (something other than the EVG standby by Siouxsie and the Banshees!).

The above video is for the recently released single "Vaporized" by the Seattle-based Sea Lemon. (And yes — she does look like Wednesday Addams-Christina Ricci here.)

The DOT wants your feedback on the future of East River Park waterfront access

The following invite is via the Department of Transportation about a public meeting this coming Monday evening...

We are writing to invite you to join us at East Village/Lower East Side Waterfront Access Study's upcoming Community Workshop #3. The study is evaluating opportunities for improvements in the FDR Drive corridor from Montgomery to 14th Street considering mobility, circulation, safety, accessibility, open space, environment, resilience, and stormwater management. 

The workshop will be held at the Lower Eastside Girls Club, Baker Hall, 402 E. Eighth St. near Avenue D, on Monday, Oct. 23, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. 

At the meeting, you'll have the opportunity to share your feedback on improvement concepts for Montgomery St., Jackson St., Delancey St., Houston St., and E. Sixth St. along the FDR Drive corridor.

You can register for the workshop here. 

East River Park is currently being gutted as part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, estimated to be completed by the end of 2026.

Speaking out against the ongoing sweeps on 9th Street and 1st Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Several city agencies have recently participated in weekly sweeps of an unhoused encampment under the sidewalk bridge on the NE corner of Ninth Street and First Avenue.

Last night, nearly a dozen community groups and mutual-aid network members planned a protest outside the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street to speak out against the ongoing sweeps ...

In anticipation of this protest (there were flyers announcing it on social media), the NYPD had placed barricades on the entrances to the block between First Avenue and Second Avenue... and only residents (with ID) or delivery people were allowed through ...

At some point, police escorted activists Johnny Grima and Derrick DeMaria out of the barricaded area. It's not immediately clear what happened next. Grima ended up on the sidewalk on Second Avenue and Fifth Street with an apparent injury from a fall. (Grima claimed he was pushed while officers at the scene said he fell.)

It took nearly 30 minutes for EMTs to arrive ... while Grima remained on the ground...

A uniformed officer accompanied Grima to the hospital, where he was evaluated for injuries. 

In the spring of 2022, the city conducted multiple sweeps on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C (coverage here and here and here) ... and along Seventh Street and Tompkins Square Park in November 2021. 

In the past 18 months, activists have spoken out against the citywide encampment sweeps ... while asking for safe housing for New Yorkers living on the streets. 

Mayor Adams has defended the actions, saying "he was working to preserve the 'dignity' of homeless New Yorkers." 

After a late September sweep on Ninth Street and First Avenue, police officials reportedly said it "was a result of numerous community grievances from locals and business owners who complained that the sidewalk was blocked."

What to know about the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade tomorrow

Photos by Stacie Joy

The 33rd edition of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade takes place tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 21. (Yes, the event was canceled this year, then revived via sponsor Get Joy, a Connecticut-based dog wellness company. Details here.) 

Given that a sizable portion of Tompkins Square Park is closed for construction (here and here), the city has OK'd extending the event onto parts of Avenue B and Seventh Street. 

The info here comes from the Dog Parade website: 

The day consists of a walking parade down Avenue B (free and open to all) and an exclusive costume competition in the park (also free, but limited space and wristbands available. Wristbands are available the day of the event, first come, first serve). 

To join the parade in your costumes, meet at 13th Street & Avenue B. (Do not meet in Tompkins Square Park!) Spectators can watch the parade on Avenue B from 12th Street to 7th Street. The parade is rain or shine and begins at 1 p.m. There is no registration to walk in the parade. 

To have a chance to compete in the exclusive costume competition (or score a free wristband to watch), arrive at 12th Street and Avenue B no later than 12:30 p.m. The waiting area for the parade opens at 12 p.m. Judges will be selecting their favorite costumes to compete in the competition from 12-1:30 p.m. 

The map (via the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade Instagram account) shows the parade route, which starts at 12th Street and Avenue B... heads south to Seventh Street, where the parade turns right and enters Tompkins at the entrance mid-block...

Some specifics about timing: 

1 p.m.: Parade kick-off 

1:45 p.m.: Interview finalists 

2 p.m.: Best in Show begins 

2:30 p.m.: Best in Show winners are crowned 

And for the bullet-point crowd:

• This event is open to all, and attendance is free 

• The first 600 paradegoers will receive wristbands, giving them access to march in the parade and access the park/contest stage and Seventh Street (first-come, first-serve basis) 

• Event is rain or shine 

• During the parade, a panel of judges will select canines and their humans to advance to an exclusive costume competition on the park stage

And what about parking in the area? Like, if you live here and have a car that might typically be parked along Avenue B or Seventh Street... this info comes via the 9th Precinct:

No parking on both sides of the street on Avenue B from 14th Street to Seventh Street, and no parking on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B (both sides of the street). Starts Friday at midnight, ends Saturday at 9 p.m.  

Per a spokesperson at the 9th: "Tow trucks will be towing people, but we'd rather get the word out to the community ahead of time."

Otherwise, enjoy!

An open house at the George Jackson Academy on St. Mark's Place

Sharing some info from the George Jackson Academy, 104 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The middle school for boys is hosting an in-person open house this Saturday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon ... and again on Nov. 8 from 5:30-7 p.m.

Please register to attend using this link: GJA Open House Registration.