A vigil for Yemen at Tompkins Square Park

Today from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a group of activists will hold a vigil on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place to raise awareness of the growing humanitarian crisis in Yemen. (The group had been holding the weekly vigils in Union Square, and recently moved to Tompkins Square Park.)



Felton Davis, one of the organizers, provided some background:

At the weekly vigil for the people of Yemen, we display signs about children starving or dying of cholera. This past week, as the battle for the port city of Hodeidah began, people started saying that the situation in Yemen was an emergency.

But for a whole year — mostly at Union Square and now at Tompkins Square Park — we have been saying that it's an emergency. Delegations of activists have descended upon the offices of elected officials, and tried to get through to them that it's an emergency. Fifteen of us blocked the UN missions of Saudi Arabia and the United States on Human Rights Day in December, and were arrested, saying that it's an emergency.

When will the emergency be over, when Yemen ceases to exist as a nation, and is carved up by whoever prevails in the war? Is there any sort of less drastic way that the emergency could be dealt with? What room is there in all this for compassion — neutral compassion — and respect for the value of human life?

For further reading:
The Next Disaster in Yemen, The Atlantic

Humanitarian Crisis Worsens in Yemen After Attack on Port, The New York Times

What Happens if Mass Starvation Takes Hold in Yemen?, The New York Times

Friday's parting shot

Photo in Tompkins Sqaure Park today by Derek Berg...

The Gang's all here

Kazuashita, the new record from Gang Gang Dance — their first in seven years — is out on 4AD next week.

The label has released a few audio tracks this spring, such as the one here for "Lotus," the lead single.

The EVG podcast

I recently launched an EVG podcast, recording the episodes at the East Village Radio studio on First Avenue (in case you're wondering why there's some background noise, such as a grocery cart filled with recyclables).

We started with something music-related, talking with Mike Katz and Crispin Kott, the authors of the recently released book "Rock and Roll Explorer Guide to New York City."

Here's the first one...



I also interviewed Goggla about the red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park. Will be posting that edition soon.

Anyway, I hope to cover a variety of topics moving forward. More about all this later...

EVG Etc.: Gabrielle Hamilton's controversial decision; Seward Park's air-rights vote

[Life of the party the other morning on Cooper Square]

A look at Prune owner-chef Gabrielle Hamilton's controversial decision to team up with Ken Friedman, who has been accused of sexually assaulting and harassing dozens of women, at the Spotted Pig. Eater has an interview with Hamilton's partner and co-chef, Ashley Merriman, here. And Grub Street has a post titled "Gabrielle Hamilton’s Great Betrayal."

Seward Park co-op votes down $54 million air rights offer from developer (The Lo-Down)

What does the future hold for the leaderless Landmarks Preservation Commission? (ArchPaper)

Xi'an Famous Foods, with a location on St. Mark's Place, raised more than $73K last Friday for suicide prevention to honor Anthony Bourdain (Eater)

James and Karla Murray are hoping to raise some additional funds via Kickstarter for their upcoming mom-and-pop storefront art installation inside Seward Park — "Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S." They will begin their installation in late June and plan on having an opening celebration in July. (Kickstarter ... previously)

The Institute for the Development of Human Arts is hosting a day of community, art, music and spoken word tomorrow at 242 E. Second St. (Facebook)

Investigators seize NYCHA records in office raid (The Post)

When the feminist skaters of the art collective Brujas took over Performance Space NY on First Avenue this spring (Artsy)

On Fifth Street, Degustation is now a chef’s counter called Restaurant Ukiyo (Eater)

NYC is implementing a ban on Styrofoam starting Jan. 1, 2019 (Gothamist)

Photo essay of the old Essex Market (Curbed)

Crime story of the week: Someone is leaving rotten food at this Stuy Town resident's front door (Town & Village)

World Cup viewing guide in NYC (The Times)

Singer-songwriter Fiona Silver, an East Village resident, plays the Mercury Lounge on June 29 (Official site)

More on one man's quest to correct an error on the sleeve of the Clash’s London Calling (Flaming Pablum)

Hedda Lettuce hosting "Mommie Dearest" on June 20 at City Cinemas Village East (Official site)

New owners for the Indigo Hotel on Ludlow (The Real Deal)

A look at the penthouse Keith Richards recently sold at One Fifth Avenue (Guest of a Guest)

The IFC Center on Sixth Avenue revamps its expansion proposal (Curbed)

Lincoln Plaza Cinema's reboot (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

...and Derek Berg shared these photos from Fourth Street, where crews for the 1970s period piece "The Kitchen" were filming scenes...



Looks like the 1973 Plymouth Fury??? And fake snow!)



... and earlier...



The drama, set in Hell's Kitchen, follows the wives of Irish mobsters (Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss) who team up to take over running the business after their husbands are sent to prison.

Resident concerned over cracks caused by excavation work in lot next door

As noted earlier this week, the city issued a Stop Work Order at 118 E. First St. near Avenue A.

There is a complaint on file with the DOB stating that the excavation work caused an adjacent building to shake, with visible cracks forming.

A longtime resident who lives adjacent to the construction site shared this photo montage, showing the cracks on the building and in the tenant's apartment...



Per the resident: "I am not feeling safe here."

For now, the city will only allow for crews to do "emergency remedial work at rear exposure to install bracing." That work hasn't occurred just yet, the resident said.

Until the Stop Work Order, workers were prepping the lot for a 9-story residential building with seven residences and a retail space.

Previously on EV Grieve:
118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

Construction starts at 118 E. 1st St., future home of a 9-floor residential building

Here's what the new condoplex at 118 E. 1st St. will look like

Bushwick-based chef looking to bring Short Stories to the Bowery

Looks as if one of the recently vacated bar-restaurants on the Bowery will have a new tenant.

Applicants are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license at 355 Bowery, the former Wise Men space between Third Street and Fourth Street.

According to the materials (PDF here) posted on the CB3 website, the applicants for the proposed Short Stories include Danny Teran, who runs several businesses in Bushwick, including Wheelhouse out on Wilson Avenue. (He is apparently known as "The Wolf of Wilson," per this Brokelyn feature.) Williamsburg Pizza investor Ashwin Deshmukh is also listed as one of the applicants.

The menu at Short Stories will feature "a mix of American, Cuban and Mexican fare." (Teran, a Cuban-American, specializes in Cuban cuisine. He also previously ran Millie's Cuban Cafe on Wilson Avenue.)

The application also shows six tables seating 12 diners as well as a 10-seat bar. (There appears to be some additional seating on benches.) The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the week, until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Wise Men closed last November after five years in business.

And before the Wise Men...


[Photo from 2011]

... there was Osaka Vibe/Orange Valve — aka, that kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery.

The CB3-SLA meeting is Monday night at 6:30 in the Public Hotel, 17th Floor, Sophia Room, 215 Chrystie St. between Houston and Stanton.

Previously on EV Grieve:
An appreciation of sorts: That kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery

Former kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery is now home to the Wise Men

The 7 restaurants that have closed on the Bowery in the past year

Lower 'Eats' Side festival to feature food from 25 countries

Via the EVG inbox...

The Lower East Side’s historic Public School 110 (Florence Nightingale School) will hold an international food festival, Lower "Eats" Side, tomorrow (Saturday) from 1-4 p.m. featuring home-cooked food from more than 25 countries ... and prepared by the school’s own parent chefs.

The food festival will represent the different cultures and nationalities that make up the school today, and will be held at the school’s 1905 building at the eastern end of Delancey Street, rain or shine and open to the public. The P.S. 110 parent rock band, “The Nightingales” (winners of NYC School District 1 Battle of the Bands) will be performing.

Heading the food fair will be Sarita Ekya., P.S. 110 PTA treasurer and owner of the mac & cheese restaurant S’MAC.

The food festival will also feature a tag sale, raffles, family portraits and much more. The school first held this festival in 2015 to commemorate 110 years of P.S 110.

P.S. 110 is at 285 Delancey St. at Lewis Street. The $10 entrance includes all food and entertainment

NYPD looking for suspect who robbed woman in 13th Street building

The #NYPD is asking the public’s assistance in identifying the male pictured here in connection to a Robbery that occurred on Sunday June 10 inside of 326 E13 St at 4:25PM. If you have any information we ask you to call #800577TIPS #EastVillage #NYC pic.twitter.com/kiI2DjhMRg

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) June 13, 2018

Police are looking for a man they say robbed a woman in her apartment building Sunday afternoon at 326 E. 13th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Town & Village has more details:

The victim, 20, was entering her building ... at about 4:30 p.m. when an unknown man grabbed her from behind.

He then demanded her bag, and when she turned it over, he ran out. The victim is believed to have lost $1,100 worth of property, including an iPhone and cash, as well as personal items.

The suspect is described as black and in his twenties; and last seen wearing a baseball cap, black hooded shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.

Blue out at former Citibank branch on Avenue A

[June 9]

Less than a week since its arrival, someone painted over the mural that Solus (via the L.I.S.A Project NYC) created last Friday at the former Citibank branch on Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street...



Perhaps the landlord prefers this look...

Today's selection

EVG regular Daniel shared this photo today from Tompkins Square Park... where someone was putting the Sing For Hope piano to good use ... the setlist included works by Philip Glass and Ryuichi Sakamoto as well as something from the "Amélie" soundtrack.

The piano is scheduled to be in the Park though June 24.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

[Click on image to go big]

Here's this week's NY See, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's comic series — an observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.