And seeing this living arrangement reminded one reader of when Merlin lived in nearly the same spot for eight years.
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Distro disaster: City rejects warm homemade meals for hungry asylum seekers in the East Village, opts to serve moldy rolls
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Note: Faces of the asylum seekers have been blurred
Despite assurances from the site supervisors at the former St Brigid school for a cooperative effort in a food and clothing distribution yesterday, things did not go according to plan.
As is the case so often when working with the city's asylum-seeker sites, like here on Seventh Street and Avenue B, snafus started early, with access denied, not allowing us to feed people, and (literally) shutting the doors and windows to the clothing pipeline.
After a week of intense media attention and freezing temperatures, asylum seekers waiting in line to receive placement are now allowed indoors, where they can begin trying to find space in a new shelter after receiving their 30-day notice from previous locations.
Some opt for reticketing elsewhere (anywhere in the world, one-way tickets are available), but only a few. I personally have only witnessed three in the past week. Those who cannot be placed in the system return to Bathgate in the Bronx, where they can sleep on the floor and start the process here again the following morning.
Since people were indoors yesterday, on-site officials would not let them exit and re-enter to receive the donated meals and clothing that they needed.
At one point, a pipeline was established to provide clothing and food through the windows, but security soon shut all the windows and ended this makeshift distribution.
The volunteer-run East Village Loves NYC prepared 450 hot Halal meals, and Pep Kim from Cafe Chrystie donated hot coffee, sweatshirts, socks, and other merch to the effort. Coats, scarves, and gloves were also donated by local residents via a drive with the East Village Community Coalition.
While some people received the much-needed meals, many were prohibited from receiving assistance.
Pastor Will Kroeze from Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Ninth Street and Avenue B was able to take some of the extras to provide for other community members in need.
EV Loves NYC co-founder Mammad Mahmoodi explains, "The City requested our meals multiple times. We put so much effort and energy into getting 450 meals, snacks, coffee, tea, etc. together — from 5 a.m.! — to be rejected [from providing] service inside for hungry folks. We even moved to send some meals via windows that they blocked. Meals were outside, hungry folks inside, and the city blocked the connection."
In an image provided by an anonymous source from inside St. Brigid, we were shown the on-site meals delivered by ReThink Foods that indicate mold on the rolls.
I spoke with site management, who told me that the city-run site "receives food adequate for the needs of the migrants."
Surf's up for Snoopy at the Tompkins Square Library
So why does she draw Snoopy?
Perhaps reading in the news about Snuppy the Puppy, the first cloned dog, was an idea that offered numerous visual possibilities. Or that my first-ever opportunity to use my purchasing power was when Grandma Bovasso gave me $20 for my birthday, and I brought a large stuffed Snoopy plush doll.
Today (Saturday!) is the last day for the exhibit ... and you can hear more from Bovasso this afternoon at 2 by the painting.
The branch is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.
Image via the NYPL
About a Holiday PopUp on 7th Street
Per the listing, you can find handmade paper flowers, ceramics, jewelry, handknits, and gifts of all kinds.
It's taking place at ILevel, 37 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.
Saturday's opening shot
Friday, December 1, 2023
Friday's parting shot
Photo by Steven
The first people in line this morning for the Alicia Keys show — One Night Only — at Webster Hall on 11th Street...
Breaking: The multipurpose courts at Tompkins Square Park are OPEN
Rather impressive, too, as the posted signage stated the work would occur between Oct. 16 and Dec. 1. (And today is Dec. 1, FYI.)
A reader shared this (and the photo!) from this corner of the Park along 10th and A:
We saw the NW TSP court being unlocked this afternoon!Current park-goers:1 little kid soccer player1 kid skateboarder3 bench goers0 walking tracks
Aside from new asphalt (which is apparently skateboard friendly, per our TF sources), new amenities include a high-low fountain that kids and adults can use simultaneously, three new basketball backstops, and the 1939 World's Fair-style benches that people yelled at us because they aren't actually 1939 World's Fair-style benches. (Well, we were at the World's Fair in 1939, and the benches here are as we remember there.)
More on this later, obviously.
Residents ordered to vacate after excavation next door destabilized this 14th Street building
Photos from yesterday morning
From the Department of Buildings:
Structural stability of building compromised due to construction operations taking place at 644 E. 14th Street. Heavy cracks in the exterior and interior in addition to separation noted at door frames and floor from wall...
The development, owned by Madison Reality Capital, is expected to yield 197 apartments — a percentage said to be affordable housing — plus retail space and a community facility.
A few residents of 642 E. 14th St., said to be the property of Second Avenue Deli owner Jeremy Lebewohl, told EVG that city officials put in the directive to leave at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
"Some folks wanted to stay. By the end of the night, I believe it was mandatory that everyone be out of the building," said one resident who has lived there for more than two years. "We packed what we could in about 30 minutes and cleaned up just in case."
The American Red Cross is housing the residents at a Chinatown hotel, though just through Sunday. After that, the residents don't know where they are supposed to live.
"We were only able to bring what we could carry. We have no idea when we will be able to access our building or our belongings again, if ever," the resident said.
Meanwhile, per city documents, DOB engineers are monitoring the site daily.
There have been concerns about what excavation work on the lot might do to the adjacent buildings on 14th Street. This corner property last housed the single-level R&S Strauss auto parts store, which closed in April 2009.
As previously reported, Madison Realty Capital paid Opal Holdings $31.3 million for the property in May 2020. Opal Holdings bought the parcel in June 2016 from Brooklyn's Rabsky Group for $23 million.
There were approved plans here for a 15-floor mixed-use building, though there weren't any affordable units attached to this version. As revealed in the spring of 2021, several developers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the city for NYCHA air rights to make this a larger structure with more housing.
In the spring of 2022, the NYCHA and Madison Realty Capital filed documents seeking a non-ULURP modification — known as an LSRD — to the development plan.
One group of locals started a Facebook group in June 2022 to help notify residents of the ongoing plans at No. 644.
"While we are all for the development of that corner ... and the affordable housing element of the plans, we are not happy with the sheer size of the footprint and the excessive height that goes along with the proposal," one of the organizers told EVG at the time. "We believe it will have countless negative effects on the local community and is out of place in this neighborhood. One major, immediate concern is that they have done little outreach and have kept plans for the project very quiet, which seems to be an obvious strategy to avoid any scrutiny from the local public."
Before a presentation in May 2022 before Community Board 3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee, Tenants Taking Control, a group of 100-plus long-term tenants in 15 East Village buildings owned by Madison Realty Capital spoke out against the plans.
In a "warning letter" to CB3 members and other local elected officials, the group, which has had Madison Realty Capital as a landlord since 2017, alleged: "We believe from first-hand experience that they disregard East Village tenant and community needs for their own financial benefit."
In June 2022, Community Board 3 signed off on the plan, which was expected to generate $19.5 million for the NYCHA, to be exclusively used at the adjacent Campos Plaza II for capital repairs and other programmatic needs as determined by a community planning process involving NYCHA and the residents of Campos Plaza II.
The current plans for 644 show a 234-foot-tall building with 197 apartments known as 14+C, according to the Fischer + Makooi Architects website.
In January 2019, the Commercial Observer reported that Jeremy Lebewohl filed a $10 million lawsuit against Opal Holdings alleging that No. 642 sustained damages by the foundation work next door at No. 644 during a previous iteration of the project.
The suit claimed that Opal tried to cut costs on the project by driving piles for the foundation too close to Lebewohl's building, which led to the damages. (It's not immediately known what happened to the suit.)
According to DOB records, complaints about work on the corner lot date back to June 2017, when someone reported, "The building is shaking when the construction workers at the site are pile driving." An April 2018 complaint noted a "cracked exterior" in the building.
And from a February 2023 complaint in public records:
What is compromising the building's integrity: There is construction planned to start next door at 644 E 14 Street, and it is suspected that this cracked the facade at 642. There is further construction planned and it is likely to cause further structural damage. The tenants are also very concerned about the damage that can't be seen: namely the structural integrity of the building. The location of the structural instability: Cracks are largely on the east side of the building. The location of the crack or gap and whether it is horizontal or vertical: There are diagonal cracks on the side of the building.
However, DOB records show that an inspector "observed no visible cracks or structural defect on exterior facade."
The resident of two years said, "We absolutely had concerns — the drywall in our buildings was significantly cracked, and walls were beginning to separate from the floor. We shared it with management but probably should've followed up more."
Another resident, who also lived in 642 for two-plus years, told us: "We would constantly feel our building shake. I know from a few other tenants that we were all very concerned. I submitted information to 311, and they came to our apartment three times from September to November. Finally, on Tuesday, they told us we had to vacate."
The residents we spoke with hadn't heard anything as of yesterday from 642's management company — aside from suggesting they contact the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for shelter services.
While the resident we talked with said they had access to resources, that wasn't likely the case for all of 642's tenants.
"It's shameful that so many families were put out for a 'luxury building' with what seems like very little empathy," the first resident said.
DOH temporarily closes Lucy's over paperwork snafu
Photos by Steven
Reporting by Stacie Joy
On Tuesday, the Department of Health temporarily closed EV old-timer Lucy's (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.
According to DOH records: "Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations."
While Lucy's doesn't offer any dining options, the city requires training in food safety and basic handling procedures for bartenders or managers, such as sliced fruit for mixed drinks.
The bar was cited for a similar infraction in February 2022.
Longtime proprietor Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius told EVG's Stacie Joy that she thought her bookkeeper had paid the previous fine and had the proper paperwork on file.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
And there's another paperwork issue to manage: the bar's liquor license expired yesterday.
Lucy said she is asking the State Liquor Authority to help her find someone who speaks Polish to assist her with the confusing paperwork required to start the renewal process.
The bar may be closed for some time while all this gets straightened out.
A look at Everythings Fine (fine!) Vintage at the Market Line
Photos by Stacie Joy
Everythings Fine Vintage is in pop-up mode for this holiday season at the Market Line, the marketplace below the Essex Market.
Selina Gladys (below) and Kacie Shea Ryan started the business from an East Village living room during the pandemic.
Here's a look around the space, which showcases 35-plus local and small-maker brands.
Everythings Fine Vintage is open Wednesdays-Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Dec. 17.
You can follow them at Instagram here.
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Thursday's parting shot
Photo by Eden
Getting into the Christmas spirit early this season... right to the curb on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...
6 posts from November
• More asylum seekers are lining up for help at the former St. Brigid School in the East Village (Nov. 29)
• At the grand opening of El Rinconcito on Avenue C (Nov. 20)
• 19-year-old worker killed by father in construction accident on 1st Avenue and 7th Street (Nov. 17)
• The unhoused residents living on 9th Street and 1st Avenue (Nov. 17)
• Flaco continues East Village tour (Nov. 11)
• A new era begins for Downtown Burritos Cocina Mexicana on 1st Avenue (Nov. 6)
Moving Day
Strange men knock
Jostle
Blue padded mats
Leave the shelving
Wrap the sofa
Take the sconce away
Away away with Apollo
That sconce is a witness
Lighting on my loves
Wrestle it to the street
Disembowel it
Give me your honorable word
When the shredder's done.
Donald Davis of East Village Books
From the bookstore's Poetry Window
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
More asylum seekers are lining up for help at the former St. Brigid School in the East Village
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Note: Faces of the asylum seekers have been blurred
The former St. Brigid School is seeing an overwhelming number of asylum seekers this week here on Seventh Street and Avenue B.
The site is being used for "reticketing" services ... which help provide transportation to asylum seekers bussed to NYC but whose final destination is elsewhere.
In recent weeks, up to 150 people — all adult males, no children — come through the site on a given day. On Monday, more than 650 were at the former school, which is not offering beds or shelter now.
On Monday, the volunteer-run East Village Loves NYC handed out 275-plus Halal meals to the men waiting outside. Below are Sasha Allenby and Mammad Mahmoodi from EV Loves NYC...
Most of these asylum seekers reported they were hungry and had no food. They also said they had been removed from other shelters after 30 days and hoped to find another respite center to await a final destination in the States. (Mayor Adams
has limited the amount of time adult migrants can stay in city shelters to 30 days.)
While I was there, some people chose to go to respite centers at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens or at JFK, and one person was reticketed to Albany.
Most people waiting in recent days would not be able to be processed. They will most likely return to Bathgate, in the Bronx,
where asylum seekers can sleep on the floor indoors before trying their luck again another day.
On Monday, there was a heavy NYPD presence with barricades erected to help manage the crowd. Staff from the Office of Emergency Management handed out mylar blankets.
The site had prepackaged sandwiches and bottles of water inside, plus what looked like cans of tuna and some snacks.
A few local businesses have reached out about doing a distribution. However, working with the city is exceedingly
difficult. I can't stress that enough.
Some asylum seekers were spotted sleeping in Tompkins Square Park and nearby curbside dining structures as temps hovered in the high 20s Monday night.
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Tuesday's parting shot
Photo by Steven
The Mudspot Family Christmas Wreath went up outside the cafe at 307 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Meanwhile, the usual holiday lights aren't expected on this block this year... word is the lighting company wanted to charge too much — more than the store owners could reasonably pay...
Winter Flowers on this November day
Photo by Daniel Efram
Spotted Rolando Politi today tending to his Winter Flowers along Avenue C at Ninth Street.
Rolando created these unique, brightly colored sculptures from discarded materials in 2000, and displayed them here along La Plaza Cultural, the community garden on this SW corner.
A public meeting (tonight) about the pending closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel on 1st Avenue
EVG file photo by Stacie Joy
Mount Sinai officials are hosting a public forum tonight on the proposed closure of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel 16th Street campus on First Avenue.
As previously reported, there's a pending July 12, 2024, closing date on the books. Last month, officials reportedly notified state regulators — who must sign off on their plans — of their request to shutter the 799-bed teaching hospital.
Per the meeting flyer (which we only just received):
Mount Sinai Beth Israel executives will discuss the plans for Downtown, the timeline on closure, and how Mount Sinai will continue to address the needs of the community now and in the future. After the presentation, there will be a Q&A open to the public.
The news of the closure here drew immediate criticism from health advocates and elected officials, who say downtown Manhattan is underserved and emergency response times are already high.
Per the Times from Nov. 3:
The closure would mean longer ambulance rides and wait times for some downtown residents having strokes and heart attacks, nurses who work at the hospital said. And it will most likely lead to overcrowding and longer wait times in emergency rooms at hospitals farther uptown.
Openings: Rakka on 1st Avenue
Photo by Steven
Rakka debuted last week before the holiday at 156 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.
As we mentioned earlier in the month, this is a return for the quick-serve Middle-Eastern restaurant that had outposts on St. Mark's Place and Avenue B.
Rakka continues to serve some staples, including falafel ($6.50) and chicken shawarma ($8.75) sandwiches.
There are two tables here... otherwise, it's a primarily to-go operation.
Daily hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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