City removes tent encampment from 7th Street outside Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy

Starting late yesterday morning, another agencywide city sweep took place on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B along Tompkins Square Park. 

This time, however, instead of allowing the dozen or so residents of the makeshift tent encampments to pack up their possessions and move along (and only to return to the same spots a few hours later), city workers either confiscated or discarded their belongings. 

A posted Department of Homeless Services flyer stated that a clean-up of this area would start on or after Nov. 9. As EVG contributor Stacie Joy documented in this post, a similar sweep took place this past Friday, though the people who were sheltering here returned after city workers left.

This particular action only targeted people who have been staying along Seventh Street in recent months. Authorities did not address the encampments inside Tompkins Square Park.

The sweep started at 11 a.m. with officers from the NYPD, Parks Enforcement Patrol and the Business District Recovery Initiative detail. They struck down tents of anyone not on-site to protect their belongings. 

We're told that there were several confrontations at the outset of the sweep. (Stacie didn't arrive at the scene until after this.) One resident of the encampment was arrested and placed in an ambulance.

In addition, police arrested a mutual aid worker for "obstructing governmental administration Class A misdemeanor" for standing with/protecting a resident's tent. This individual was arrested at around 1 p.m. after exchanging words with the NYPD and released with a desk appearance ticket at around 7:30 p.m. 

During the afternoon, the assembled officers bagged the belongings from the tents. 

Some property was bagged and tagged, likely being stored at the NYPD's Erie Basin evidence warehouse in Red Hook, where the owners will need clearance from a judge plus ID to reclaim. 

Most items, however, were just thrown in the trash. The items were bagged and tossed directly into a waiting sanitation truck. In one case, an entire tent with its belongings was rolled up and discarded...

Lt. Jermaine Oden of the 9th Precinct oversaw yesterday's sweep. He told Stacie that "due to the pandemic, items were contaminated and not able to be saved." They "had to be destroyed." 

The corridor along the Park on Seventh Street was clear by late afternoon...

Afterward, Stacie saw one of the officers crying. "I felt bad for him. I do not think anyone was unaffected by this."

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Documenting the city's 'clean-up' along Tompkins Square Park on 7th Street 

Italian specialty shop Via Della Scrofa debuts on 4th Street

Via Della Scrofa, the new Italian food market via Giovanni Bartocci, is now open at 60 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. (Thanks for all the reader tips about this debut!)

We haven't stopped by just yet. According to the shop's Instagram account: "You can find everything from Tombola to Chinotto and much more!" Via Della Scrofa is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Bartocci will also be reopening Via Della Pace in its new space down the block at 87 E. Fourth St. in the weeks ahead. Our previous posts — here and here — have more details. 

Ahimsa Garden is leaving the East Village

Ahimsa Garden is leaving the East Village for Midtown East. 

Signs up at the Indian restaurant that serves vegetarian food at 265 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue shows an upcoming move to East 38th Street. Per the sign: "Thank you for all your support. We are blessed with such an awesome community."

AG, an offshoot of the Thompson Street location at the time, opened here in August 2017.

Thanks to the EVG reader who shared this photo!

A look at Tiger Lily Kitchen, opening soon on 3rd Avenue

The space looks to be shaping up for Tiger Lily Kitchen (TLK), opening soon at 58 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Hospitality veteran Michelle Morgan opened Tiger Lily late last year as a takeout and delivery operation at 293 Third Ave. in Gramercy Park. This larger space allows for her to offer indoor dining.

Here's more about TLK via the restaurant's website:

Our founder, Michelle, realized her dream of starting her own project during the hospitality industry shift in 2020. She took this time to reconnect to her roots and what blossomed was a mixture of her mother's Hong Kong-style cooking and the familiar food of her childhood. With these inspirations she built the TLK menu, including food that is not only comforting but healthy, nourishing, and accommodating to allergies, intolerances, and dietary choices.

You can check out the TLK menu here... and visit the TLK Instagram here. 

This space was previously home to the Boilery, part of a chainlet with multiple outposts in the city that closed sometime late last year.

H/T Steven!

Wednesday's parting shot

Elvis is everywhere... like on Seventh Street this morning. Pic by Derek Berg.

Speaking out for the return of the former P.S. 64 to the community

Photos by Stacie Joy

This past Saturday afternoon, local elected officials, residents and supporters commemorated the 20th anniversary of the eviction of the Charas/El Bohio Community & Cultural Center at 605 E. Ninth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Several speakers, including longtime neighborhood activists and past and present elected officials, called on the city to take action to immediately "stop the destruction of the building," the former P.S. 64

Developer Gregg Singer, who bought the property from the city during an auction in 1998, has wanted to turn the building into a dorm called University Square. The DOB continues to maintain a Stop Work Order on the property. 

In years past, there has been a call for the return of the building for community use. The building became the Charas/El Bohio Community Center after the school left in 1977. The group was eventually evicted in December 2001 when Singer took over as the landlord. It has sat empty these past 20 years, causing locals to be concerned about its crumbling façade.  

Given this movement some hope: Mayor Bill de Blasio's statement at a Town Hall on Oct. 12, 2017, that the city would take steps to reacquire the building. According to published reports, the Mayor said he'd work to "right the wrongs of the past." Those plans have never materialized.

EVG correspondent Stacie Joy was there on Saturday...

"What happened to CHARAS should never happen again, especially to an institution that served the community for so many years," said Carlos "Chino" Garcia, co-founder of Charas. "This was not just the destruction of a facility that served artists, community organizations and residents, but the total destruction of a community." 

"In 2017, my neighbors and I were so thrilled when Mayor de Blasio announced he would work to help get CHARAS El Bohio back," said John Blasco, District Leader, 74th AD Part A. "Since then, we have not had any support from the administration to make this a reality. The pandemic has had a detrimental impact on programs and services for all New Yorkers. If there was ever a great time to bring back a cultural community center to Loisaida, that time is now."

"On the 20th anniversary ... we're renewing our call to Mayor de Blasio to take action on his 2017 promise," said Assembly Member Harvey Epstein. "As someone who personally attends meetings at Charas, I know the historic and vital impact this previous cultural center has on our community. If de Blasio fails, I'll stand ready to call on the next administration to take action."

Previously on EV Grieve:

• A walk around inside the long-abandoned — and ghoulishly beautiful — P.S. 64

A new chapter at the 11th Street Community Garden with debut of a lending library

Members of the 11th Street Community Garden have debuted a free community library outside their space between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Residents are welcome to drop off books and pick up a few in exchange.

"We ask that if a book is taken, another book is eventually returned in its place," said garden member Connor Davis. 

11th Street is the latest community garden to set up a lending library. La Plaza Cultural also has several at their space on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street. 

First look at Lil' Frankies Grocery on 1st Avenue

Workers have removed the plywood from outside the under-renovation 21 First Ave., offering the first look at East Village restaurateur Frank Prisinzano's personally curated grocery store that will be opening in the weeks ahead.

Lil' Frankies Grocery is steps away from Prisinzano's Lil' Frankie's restaurant between First Street and Second Street. 

We first reported on this back in March. Here's an excerpt from that post, based on a series of Instagram Stories by Prisinzano:

"I've always wanted to have a grocery store. I've always wanted to curate all my own products," said Prisinzano, who also owns and operates EV mainstays Frank on Second Avenue and Supper on Second Street. "It will be a curated list of products that I use and recommend. Nothing will be on the shelves that I don't personally love." 

He plans on having a deli case inside the new shop to sell sandwiches ... with a vertical slicer for prosciutto. He's also thinking about offering homemade gelato and sorbet — similar to what his restaurants have on the dessert menus. Other amenities will include a 20-foot table to host private parties catered by the shop. 

"I'm going to keep it real simple, real Italian and real fresh," he said.

The grocery's Instagram account is currently listing an opening for this month.

The retail space was previously Fineline Tattoo, which is now located in a private studio.  

Former Zum Schneider space now for lease on 7th Street and Avenue C

A for-lease sign recently arrived on the storefront on the northwest corner of Avenue C and Seventh Street — the former Zum Schneider. 

The EVG reader who shared this photo said this is the first time the space has been on the market these past 20-plus months. The posted sign doesn't list any details about the type of tenant desired. (The space is vented for cooking.)

Zum Schneider, the popular biergarten and restaurant, closed here after 20 years in late February 2020. According to Zum Schneider owner Sylvester Schneider at the time, the co-op's lawyer stated that the building had no intention to renew the lease. (Zum Schneider continues to host various pop-up events in Brooklyn and NYC.)

In November 2020, a jokester attached a fake sign to the storefront stating that a McDonald's was opening here in January 2021. 

Work starts on the Union Square Holiday Market

Staging for building the Union Square Holiday Market arrived yesterday (thanks to EVG reader Doug for these pics)...

As widely reported last month, the winter market, featuring 150 local and national vendors, returns to the southern portion of Union Square at 14th Street after a year off due to the pandemic. 

Things open here on Nov. 18 and run through 4 p.m. on Dec. 24. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a 7 p.m. close on Sundays. Find the vendor list here.

Beyond the sea: Crab Du Jour shapes up on 1st Avenue

Work continues at 225 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street, the future home of a Crab Du Jour outpost. As you can see, the Crab signage is in place. (First reported here.) 

So this is the latest NYC location for the expanding chain described as a Cajun Seafood Boil & Bar. 

Per the restaurant's website:

Crab Du Jour offers experience-driven seafood dining in a fun, communal atmosphere, perfect for friends and family. Our Cajun-inspired eatery is known for fresh seafood boils (made for sharing) and an array of signature house-blended sauces, to enhance the experience. 

Not sure about an opening date ... they are currently in hiring mode...

This address was previously a Checkers, which closed late last year after six years in business.

Paving party tonight on Avenue B

Tow-away notices are now posted (as of last night) along Avenue B ahead of the repaving party on Avenue B ... happening tonight and tomorrow night (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.) from Houston to 14th Street. 

Workers milled Avenue B back on Oct. 18-19. 

Thanks to the East Village Community Coalition for the pic!