Opening-night crowd prompts the NYPD to shut down the art show at O'Flaherty's on Avenue C

Images and reporting by Stacie Joy 

A large crowd prompted the NYPD to shut down a new art show on its opening night on Avenue C and Fourth Street. 

The action occurred last night at O'Flaherty's, the 10-month-old gallery at 55 Avenue C.

 

"The Patriot," the latest exhibit via curator Jamian Juliano-Villani (seen below early last night), was an open-call show where all work from artists was accepted — as long as the art met size criteria (under 36x36 and no wet oil paint).

In total, there were 700-plus pieces mounted floor to ceiling, crammed into every nook and cranny of O'Flaherty's. Inside the darkened space, gallery-goers were given mini-flashlights to explore the work. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was among those who viewed the exhibit before the NYPD arrived. 

First, the art...

With 700-plus artists with works inside, some 700-plus people showed up for the opening. A spirited group assembled ("like a sneaker drop," per one passerby) to see "The Patriot," with a line to enter winding up Fourth Street back to Avenue B. One estimate put the crowd outside at 1,000. 

The NYPD, with officers from the 9th Precinct and PSA4 (on Avenue C at Eighth Street), showed up at the gallery to shut down the opening. One officer called the crowded show "a safety issue," not to mention gallery-goers spilling onto Avenue C...

The show was expected to be up through the first week of August. Gallery hours are 2-8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.

Milk Burger in soft-open mode on East Houston

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Milk Burger outpost is in soft-open mode at 321 E. Houston St. between Attorney and Ridge. (Arrival first mentioned here.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy spoke with owner Erik Mayor (below), who said they'll be in soft-opening status for the next two weeks. He is currently training staff. He also mentioned the warm welcome he's received from the neighborhood so far...

The brand, which launched in 2011, also has a location in the Bronx. 

You can find the menu with various burgers, wings, fries and shakes here. The posted hours of operation are noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, with a 7 p.m. close on Sunday.

Thursday's parting shot

After a nine-year effort, the intersection of Ludlow and Rivington on the LES will be named Beastie Boys Square... City Council approved the naming today. (The Post and Crain's have the story.) 

As noted before, the former clothing store on the corner served as the backdrop for 1989's "Paul's Boutique." 

LeRoy McCarthy has been behind this co-naming push. Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Mastrion created the original BB mural in 2014.

[Updated] 21-year-old man dead in hit-and-run on East Houston

21-year-old man dies after being found sprawled out on East Village street, likely victim of hit-and-run driverhttps://t.co/FhN2ep8ZAT

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 14, 2022

Updated 7/15: 

According to NBC 4, authorities identified the victim as Andy Eduardo Gil, 21. He was reportedly walking south to north across Houston at Forsyth. 

Updated 7/16:

The Daily News spoke with the young man's grieving parents. 

Dad Eduardo Gil recalled his son working at a hotel while pursuing his aspirations of becoming a photographer and graphic designer, adding the young man was headed to a scheduled photo shoot when killed that morning.

-- 

Per Myles Miller at Channel 4, citing surveillance video:

The traffic light changed as he was in the median, and a private sanitation truck slowed to let him pass.

At that same time, however, a black sedan can be seen speeding around the right side of the truck. The car struck the victim ... and dragged him along the street. Both the car and sanitation truck left Gil in the middle of the street, and drove away.

The sedan was last seen driving westbound on Houston. 

 ---

Police are searching for the driver of a sedan they say struck and killed a 21-year-old man early this morning on East Houston Street. 

According to ABC 7, the pedestrian was crossing East Houston at Forsyth Street around 5 a.m. when he was hit by a sedan driver, who fled the scene. 

Per ABC 7:

Workers in the area who have seen the surveillance [footage] say it's clear the driver was going way too fast into the intersection. 

"I'm not too sure if he saw the person, but even if he didn't, at least stop if you know you hit someone," said Justin Lopez, who works nearby. "And he didn't."

A visit to Kembra Pfahler's new studio space on 6th Street

Images by Stacie Joy

East Village performer and godmother of modern-day shock art Kembra Pfahler has new studio space on Sixth Street.

She has been holding a few studio visits in the space that she shares with several other artists. It's an opportunity to hang out... as well as pick up some merch and a selection of artwork from her band that she co-founded with Samoa Moriki, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the basement space this past Saturday... 

The space is at 431 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. She'll announce the studio visits on her Instagram. There may also be a sign up on the door... 

Meanwhile, if you're in London this summer... the Emalin gallery is presenting "On The Record, Off The Record: Sound Off," a solo exhibition of new and archival works by Pfahler, her third show here. It's up through Aug. 27. 

From the catalog: 

Pfahler is a key figure of New York’s underground scene. With a practice spanning music, performance, acting, film and visual arts since the 1980s, the image vocabulary she has built informs the countercultural aesthetics of the Lower East Side.

Openings! Desi Stop on 2nd Avenue

Some good opening news... Desi Stop has debuted at 75 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. (Thanks to EVG reader Garth for the photo and tip!)

The deli, serving homemade Indian food, tea, coffee and snacks, is open daily for now from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 

For months it looked as if the quick-serve shop would never make it to an opening date.

Here's a recap from an EVG post from April...

Last August, Gurjaipal Singh and his partners took possession of the storefront at 75 Second Ave. 

They aimed to open Desi Stop in the fall. 

As of mid-April, Desi Stop remains in limbo, and Singh says he's gone bankrupt waiting for the city to OK the address to open and start serving food. 

"Unfortunately, after six months and spending thousands of dollars and meeting with all requirements of city departments, we are still waiting for clearance to open up," he said in a text message. "Slow working of city departments is killing small businesses like us even before they can open." 

The problems started in November 2021 when the Department of Buildings conducted the gas inspection. According to Singh, DOB officials said that they could not find any records in their database for the space after 1999. The DOB could not then approve the inspection. (It's not clear how the previous restaurants at the address, Nostro Ristorante and ZaabVer Thai, among others, were able to open.) 

So Singh said that they started from scratch with the DOB, which included getting clearance from the Landmarks Preservation Commission (the building is within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District), submitting new drawings and applying for new permits. 

Singh also hired a fire suppression company. There was an initial delay by the company and then with the FDNY, Singh said. The certificate of approval remains in the review process. 

Anyway, all that is behind Singh and his partners, and they look forward to serving the neighborhood "after a lot of struggle." 

Prepping Avenue A for a new dedicated bus lane

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The DOT has started putting down the markings for the new dedicated southbound bus lane for the M14A on Avenue A below Fifth Street... 

As previously noted, parking is no longer allowed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. seven days a week in select corridors on Avenue A and Avenue D. (The bus lanes have already been marked on D.) 

This is one of the transit improvements the city announced as part of the "Better Buses Restart" campaign in May 2021. Per then-Mayor de Blasio's announcement during "Streets Week!" at the time:

Both new and improved bus lanes will serve bus riders citywide, with changes including new red paint and markings, signals improvements, pedestrian safety and clearer signage. 

The city identified the M14A and M14D as a "bus priority" in 2019... when the 14th Street Busway went into effect between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. (According to the city, the Busway improved bus travel times by 36%, among other improvements.)

Still, according to the city, speeds on the 14A and 14D are consistently slow throughout the day and early evening. (DOT presentation from June 2021 here.)

There's also a budding sinkhole on Avenue A at Second Street that could swallow a bus that Keanu and Sandra couldn't even save...

Once again, a pesky blue jay tries to annoy the hell out of Christo in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

It's hot and humid out. You just want to sit and in a tree and enjoy a breeze in Tompkins Square Park. 

For Christo, one of the resident red-tailed hawks, this comfort zone was ruined by the always annoying dive-bombing blue jays today...

Police looking for suspect in attempted sexual assault in apartment building on 11th Street and 3rd Avenue

The NYPD is searching for a man they say tried to sexually assault a 23-year-old woman Sunday night. 

 

According to police and media accounts, the man crept up behind the woman inside her building near 11th Street and Third Avenue at about 11:40 p.m. Police said that as she opened her door, he pushed the woman into the apartment and tried to sexually assault her. The woman reportedly got the attacker out of the apartment, and he left with her wallet.

Police released surveillance of the suspect at an unnamed business...

   

A description of the suspect has not been released.

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

And now, a word from our adverti...

Photo by Stacie Joy 

As seen on Seventh Street... an Acne Stuidos ad with a message from a passerby: "These ads are disgusting."

Not to worry, it's probably already covered by another wheatpaste ad... these seem to have a 36-48-hour lifespan, if that.

A very public eviction for Anwar Grocery on Avenue B

First 2 photos by Miriam Abrahams; the rest by Stacie Joy

On Tuesday afternoon, workers cleared out Anwar (going recently as Akter) Grocery at 166 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...

The clean-out preceded a visit by the Marshal, noting the business is now in legal possession of the landlord... (an eviction notice arrived on July 5).

Anwar Hossein had owned and operated the shop since 2005. He and his family have lived in an apartment upstairs dating to 1998. (His father had been a tenant since 1988.) 

Hossein previously owned two other stores in the neighborhood — A&H Grocery at 204 Avenue A and Ahn Newsstand and Candy store at 500 E. 12th St., both long shuttered. 

He previously told Stacie Joy that things were difficult for the shop in recent years — the pandemic only adding to the woes. A new landlord bought the building in 2018, and his lease expired in December 2019. 

There have been multiple court dates between the two sides before Tuesday's action. 

This was one of the more public evictions we've seen recently. Workers emptied out the store, placing its contents, including beer, cigarettes, rolling papers and personal-care products, on the sidewalk for passersby to take ... (The Hosseins were not seen during this time, and it's not known what their housing status is.)

The old-school-style shop had some unusual items for sale, such as DVD copies of a Nickelback concert, blank TDK cassette tapes and VHS videotapes. There were also religious amulets, sombreros, school supplies and some hardcore adult DVDs with titles like "Anal Pleasures" (and left on the sidewalk).  

 And a final look inside the shop...

However functional, the more recent delis and groceries have a bland sameness with the ambiance of an airport galleria. 

Anwar, with the owners who lived upstairs, was definitely the last of its kind in this neighborhood. 

And from this spring... Sheila and Anwar Hossein...