NYPD light tower arrives on a cleaned-up SE corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue

Top photo via Pinch 

An NYPD floodlight tower now sits outside the Immaculate Conception Church on 14th Street at First Avenue... a long-troubled stretch of the East Village. [Updated: There's a second tower outside the L stop closer to Avenue A.]

This arrival comes after a triple stabbing that left a 38-year-old man dead this past Sunday just before 6 p.m. Witnesses said the stabbing took place in the street and sidewalk in the area between Trader Joe's and the Wingstop. (Fox 5 has images of the deadly fight here.) The fight started on 13th Street just east of First Avenue before escalating a block over, witnesses have said.

Police arrested a suspect, 30-year-old Alejandro Piedra, who was later charged with murder with depraved indifference and attempted murder with depraved indifference, according to the NYPD and media accounts. Police said Piedra allegedly killed 38-year-old Clemson Cockfield and injured his wife, 52-year-old Jennifer Cockfield, as well as another man, 32-year-old Jonathan Lopez. 

During a police briefing on Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said all three victims sell second-hand items along 14th Street. 

Per the Daily News: 

Lopez left his wife and items to go to the bathroom and when he returned, Piedra was trying to pocket some of the goods, the chief said. When confronted, Piedra pulled a knife and stabbed Lopez in the head and chest. Other vendors, including Cockfield and his wife, spotted the stabbing and came to Lopez's aid. 

As the brawl intensified, a vendor came up behind Piedra and broke a lamp over his head before running off. Cockfield picked up the remnants of the lamp and started to swing at Piedra, screaming, “You stabbed my friend! You stabbed my friend!” according to Kenny. Jennifer Cockfield then got involved, throwing both punches and her shoes at Piedra.

The fight died down and Piedra walked away before allegedly coming back a short time later with a knife in hand. 

Piedra, who's due back in court tomorrow, was reportedly charged in 2018 with assaulting two women with umbrellas. The case was sent to mental health court, which Piedra completed in 2021, per the News. 

Meanwhile, residents have noted that this block has been cleaner this week than it has been in several years. These photos are from yesterday morning.

City Councilmember Keith Powers, whose district starts across 14th Street at Stuy Town, sent an email to his constituents noting. Multiple EVG readers shared the email, which included: 

Thank you for writing to me about 14th Street and the awful attacks that took place on Sunday. I have attached a copy of my statement from Sunday evening, which once again calls for immediate intervention from the NYPD and other agencies on 14th Street. We have been working on this since Sunday, so I wanted to give you an update. 

One of the challenges in dealing with the situation on 14th Street has been that despite our efforts to make progress, all it takes are a few bad actors to return to the location to undo that progress. That is why I am again calling for consistent and sustained resources on the ground until the conditions on 14th Street are back to normal.

I wanted to share a few updates on the situation since Sunday:

● Earlier this week, the NYPD announced that they are stationing a foot patrol on the block to address the issues. As you will see in my statement, this was my top request. As I have stated repeatedly, the need for more resources here is apparent for any of us living in the neighborhood. 

● I am making an updated request of the Archdiocese and Immaculate Church to end the flea market. Myself and other elected officials have made this request in the past but they have not been responsive or cooperative. While I support the church, it’s indisputable that the flea market has created huge problems in the neighborhood. 

● On Monday, I personally walked the block with small business owners on 14th Street to provide them with my personal information to allow them to contact us on any issue from cleanliness to illicit behavior. 

● The Sanitation Department confirmed to me directly today that they will begin new joint operations with the NYPD and the Department of Homeless Services. My office will stay in close contact to ensure that the efforts here are maintained and properly targeted. 

● I am also coordinating with my colleagues in the city and state who represent this area to set up a walkthrough of the site with all relevant agencies. 

We hope this will help demonstrate and reinforce the need for immediate and sustained action here. On the larger scale, there are a number of proposals in the City Council that would exacerbate the situation on 14th Street by restricting the ability of city agencies to conduct enforcement against illegal vendors. I am not supportive of these measures and I have discussed the way that they would negatively impact our neighborhood with my colleagues. 

As the City Council finalizes this year's budget, I am advocating for more resources for the 13th Precinct — which covers the Stuyvesant Town portion of the block (the area of 14th Street that’s in my district). I have always been proud of my good working relationship with the 13th Precinct and hope to continue coordinating with them to make our neighborhood safer.

City pools open today

Photo Sunday from outside Dry Dock Pool on 10th Street

Dozens of outdoor city pools reopen for the season TODAY ... locally, this means the Hamilton Fish Pool on Pitt and East Houston and the Dry Dock Pool on 10th Street and Avenue D. 

The Tompkins Square Park mini pool — yes, Tompkins has a mini pool — is closed for the second season due to the renovations to the field house. (As far as we know, the pool is NOT getting a makeover — just the filed house.)

Outdoor hours are from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. daily, with a break for pool cleaning between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Find more info about city pools at this link. 

The City published a solid pool primer here, including a section on swim lessons.

A permanent closure for Dhom on 12th Street

Dhom has announced its permanent closure as of Monday at 505 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

A sign outside for patrons thanks them for their support (thanks to all the readers who noted this)...

Dhom opened in July 2022, serving up Laotian cuisine from owners whose credits included Tribeca's Khe-Yo. That 11-year-old restaurant also just closed. 

Co-owner Nick Bradley told Eater: 

He says he feels "slightly betrayed" by the hospitality industry, "that you put your life’s work into," and “all those who make 3 to 5 percent off our work is what's causing us to close." 

Bradley cited the percentages taken by credit card companies, point-of-service apps, rising insurance premiums, and inflation as having battered not just his restaurants, but the industry at large. "It leaves me kind of bitter," he says. 

He pointed out he’s articulating these reasons for closing in an attempt to get the attention of local government and others who "can help do something about it." 

The 12th Street space previously housed the high-end cocktail lounge Mace. Double Wide closed at No. 503-505 in March 2018 (much to the relief of some neighbors). 

Openings: Pasta de Pasta on 1st Avenue

Photo by Lola Sáenz 

Pasta de Pasta debuted at 192 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street earlier this month. (Previously.) 

The quick-serve pasta shop offers a simple menu, starting with a base of homemade pasta and cheese for $9.90 and many add-on options. (The menu is at the bottom of the site here.) 

The pasta is tossed in a Parmesan wheel before being served for one of the tables in the back or to go.

Daily hours: Noon to 11 p.m. 

The space was most recently Koko Wings, which closed in early 2024 after four-plus years in service. 

That's all for M & J Asian Cuisine on 14th and B

Multiple readers shared the closing news on Tuesday about M & J Asian Cuisine (seen below in better days), a budget-friendly Chinese restaurant and sushi bar on the SE corner of 14th Street and Avenue B.

No word on why it closed. The restaurant arrived in the fall of 2014, so perhaps the lease was up... and how much longer can a prime corner like this continue with single- and two-level buildings.

Thanks to EVG reader Patrick for the top photo!

Wednesday's parting shot

As seen on Avenue A this morning ...

At an East Village benefit for Washington Square Park Mutual Aid

Photos by Stacie Joy 

On Sunday, La Plaza Cultural hosted a benefit show and collection drive for the Washington Square Park Mutual Aid group. 

An array of performers and residents came to the community garden at the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C on a sweltering day to show their support. 

The entertainment included Federico of Pinc Louds and Crackhead Barney & Friends (featuring Matthew Silver).

Here are a few scenes from the afternoon...

WSP Mutual Aid, now in its third year, distributes food and clothing to people in need every Friday evening in Washington Square Park. Learn more about their work here.

[Updated] East Village singer-songwriter Jesse Malin will return to the stage this Dec. 1

Tickets for a second show on Dec. 2 are now on sale.

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East Village singer-songwriter Jesse Malin will return to the stage for the first time since early 2023 on Dec. 1 at the Beacon Theater, billed as "the largest hometown show of his career." 

Via the EVG inbox: 

Jesse Malin will perform a full set with his longtime band, and then the show will feature special guests Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Jakob Dylan, Butch Walker, J Mascis, Adam Duritz and David Immergluck of Counting Crows and Alejandro Escovedo, with hosts Michael Imperioli and Mary Louise-Parker, and support from WFUV. More guests are to be announced! 

Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday. A presale is underway now with the password PATRONSAINTS. Link here. 

Malin, who has been undergoing rehabilitation, including daily physical therapy, was left paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a rare spinal stroke in May 2023. 

A Queens native and longtime East Village resident, Malin is a partner in several local establishments, including Niagara, 96 Tears and the Bowery Electric.

Now people are stealing Invader's mosaics in the East Village and elsewhere

Art and plaque theft season continues in the East Village. (See here and here.) 

In recent weeks, two men have been removing Invader's mosaic tile art from around walls in NYC. 

The French street artist addressed it in an Instagram post on Monday:

For the past few weeks, some guys in New York have been destroying my work by trying to rip it off the walls, probably to resell it. Shame on them! Street art belongs to the street, and in my case, once ripped from the walls, it is nothing more than broken, unsigned tiles that you could find in any tile store. They will never be authenticated. 

Buyers should think twice of what they buy, not only are they being duped but they are also depriving other people of enjoying free art on the street. 

He followed up yesterday with a photo of a theft someone took, showing two men removing a classic invader above the signage at Ralph's Famous Italian Ices on the NW corner of Avenue A and Ninth Street...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Invader (@invaderwashere)

We asked the folks at Ralph's about it. Unfortunately, they didn't see it happening, as the theft occurred after store hours. 

As Invader noted, the mosaics likely have little resale value. Plus, when he installed these, he reportedly used larger, thinner tiles that would chip apart upon contact with a tool. 

An array of mosaics arrived in NYC and the East Village, some in collaboration with the LISA Project, in 2015. A few were immediately vandalized, though there are still several around if you know where to look.

The Rite Aid on 1st Avenue doesn't look like a store that will be in business much longer

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

According to multiple published reports, Rite Aid plans to close 92 stores nationwide in 2024 as the chain continues to work through a bankruptcy proceeding. 

Since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last October, Rite Aid has been grappling with its financial woes, which have led to the closure of numerous locations. However, the East Village outpost on First Avenue at Fifth Street has managed to escape the hit list. 

Here's more about why the company has struggled via Forbes:

Multiple factors contributed to Rite Aid's bankruptcy. It was larded with debt and faced more than a thousand opioid-related lawsuits. Yet its business has been deteriorating for years as it struggled to compete against larger companies like CVS, Amazon, Walgreens...

During a recent visit, I saw barren shelves throughout the store. Management here told me they are having a "tough time getting any product or supply right now." When I asked if they were closing, I was told, "Right now, we're OK, but we really don't know." 

On another stop-by, staff said that the company is saving money by not stocking shelves; they only restock or receive supplies once a week. They also said that, for now, the store is safe and not closing. They did not rule out a closure in the future, but no one's heard anything. 

They said that if the store were to close, the patrons/pharmacy clients would be informed immediately.

Here's a look at the store... where even the COVID-era lockdown shelves were barren...

The 101 Avenue D location had a similar barren look before it eventually closed in 2022. 

The First Avenue location has a special place in our hearts because of its Headless Santa. 

The one-story First Avenue location also sits on a prime East Village corner, and developers would likely pay top dollar for another sliver of luxury housing. 

Check out an aerial view of the refurbished Tompkins Square Park basketball courts

So the refurbished Tompkins Square Park basketball courts returned to public use on Monday after a multi-week closure ... and with a dedication ceremony featuring the collaborators — Glossier, a beauty website, Project Blackboard, the WNBA, artist Na Chainkua Reindorf and the Parks Department. 

The Glossier Instagram account posted the two aerial shots here...

Here's more via Fast Company ... and Kyle Leahy, Glossier’s CEO: 

Glossier didn’t just sponsor the art; it also paid to refurbish the court so it is more functional. It mended the nets and repainted the backboards. It also sponsored a women's league that uses this court regularly to practice, paying for all of their equipment. "We wanted these young women to realize that they are worthy of this investment." 

The courts were last refurbished in the summer of 2015 with funding from YouTube.

Joey Bats Café has closed on Avenue B

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Over the weekend, the Joey Bats Café signage was removed from 50 Avenue B, marking the official end of the business here between Third Street and Fourth Street.

Joey Batista (aka Bats) opened his eponymous business here in October 2021. He initially sold his signature pastéis de nata from a sidewalk table until he debuted the cafe-bar late last summer.

While the Avenue B outpost is no longer open, Batista (below) will continue to sell his Portuguese custard tarts from several locations, including the Essex Market, Grand Central Terminal and Chelsea Market. (He's also expanding to Boston.) He'll also still use his shipping center on Houston Street near Clinton for nationwide orders. 

Batista was a former partner in the basement business at 50 Avenue B, GAMA Lounge. We hear that GAMA will take over the street-level space, though they have yet to respond to a request for more information.

Lamia’s Fish Market is 'temporarily closed for maintenance'

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Lamia's Fish Market is closed for now at 47 Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street.

Door signage notes a temporary closure "for maintenance." 

The restaurant's website and social media properties do not mention the closure, and as of last night, Lamia's was still accepting reservations.

However, multiple sources tell us that the Fish Market will not reopen and that staff has already left for new jobs.

Owner Lamia Funti was previously involved with Le Souk, a longtime trouble spot on this block that eventually had its liquor license canceled by the State Liquor Authority in 2009.

Lamia's made a splash upon opening in the summer of 2019, garnering media attention for its two-level, six-room "aquatic splendor."

Tuesday's parting shots (aka, SCHOOL'S almost OUT FOR THE SUMMER)

Photos by Stacie Joy

The 2023-24 school year is wrapping up this week... and there was a celebration (or an unsanctioned rave?) involving buckets of photogenic powder taking place outside at STAR Academy/P.S. 63 on Third Street...

A plaque dedicated to a former longtime Parks employee is missing from Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven

Last week, someone stole the brass plaque dedicated to former Tompkins Square Park supervisor Harry Greenberg from along the Ninth Street pedestrian walkway...

Greenberg worked in Tompkins from 1987 to 2010. A plaque via the Board of Howl! Arts Inc. arrived here early in the summer of 2012... (photo of Harry from 2012 by Stacie Joy)...

The working theory among Park sleuths is that someone stole the plaque for the materials instead of being a random act of vandalism/mischief.

Howl! Arts co-founder Riki Colon tells us that the organization plans to replace it ASAP.

Last summer, someone destroyed the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree plaque after it was stolen in 2020. 

Away from Tompkins, the plaque commemorating the Fillmore East at 105 Second Ave. near Sixth Street is also currently MIA.

Reminders: Community Board 3 to discuss congestion pricing at public meeting tonight

ICYMI from a June 11 post: 

Community Board 3 has added a special meeting this month to address Gov. Hochul's decision to indefinitely pause congestion pricing.

Here's more via an email from CB3 Chair Andrea Gordillo: 

Community Boards 1-6 have discussed signing on to a letter to all parties involved with the MTA's Congestion Pricing Plan, asking to reverse course on the Governor's decision. Given the unprecedented nature of the abrupt policy shift, its potential cost to the MTA, and public trust in government, Community Board 3 will convene this special meeting after the public session of its June Full Board meeting to discuss and vote on the contents of the letter which would ask the Governor to proceed with congestion pricing. 

We encourage members of the public to attend the meeting and sign up to give public comment, and we ask for your support in reaching out to our communities to inform them of the opportunity to comment on this important decision. 

The full CB3 meeting is TONIGHT — Tuesday, June 25, at P.S. 20, 166 Essex St., between Houston and Stanton. 

The first four public speakers for and against the subject matter are allowed to speak. They may arrive at 6 p.m. Otherwise, members of the public are welcome to email comments to mn03@cb.nyc.gov. The Board meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube here.

In pausing the plan, Hochul expressed concerns about the timing and state of the city's post-pandemic recovery. 

Under the congestion-pricing plan, most people driving passenger vehicles into Manhattan below 60th Street would need to pay a minimum of $15, with larger vehicles incurring higher charges. 

The MTA has already spent tens of millions of dollars to install cameras, sensors, license plate readers, and other equipment on city roadways in preparation for the plan's launch. The anticipated fee was projected to generate around $1 billion annually, benefiting subway and bus systems that serve approximately 4 million daily riders. 

The move also represents a dramatic reversal for public transit advocates, who had supported congestion pricing to raise money for NYC's struggling subway and commuter rail systems and reduce traffic on city streets.

Reminders: It's Primary Election Day

FYI: Primary Election Day is today (June 25). Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

The primaries include state-level seats as well as Congressional contests. 

Races here are Representative in Congress 10th Congressional District (Democratic primary) and Judge of the Civil Court — 2nd Municipal Court District (Alice Tam Tien and Harold Bahr). 

As we noted, several statewide candidates are unopposed in the primary and will not appear on the ballot, including Kirsten Gillibrand for reelection to the U.S. Senate, Brian Kavanagh for reelection to the New York State Senate, and Deborah Glick for reelection to the New York State Assembly. 

You can find your poll site here. Vote.NYC has more info here.

3 new bakeries-cafes have opened in the East Village

Here's a quick look at three new bakery-cafe options in the East Village...

• Sweet Cake, 215 First Ave., just south of 13th Street.

The Flushing-based bakery and cafe, which serves coffee, matcha drinks, and Asian-style desserts, is now in service between 12th Street and 13th Street. (Previously.) 

• Oasis Cafe, 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The bakery-dessert shop, which started in Flushing, is now in soft-open mode. The brand also has locations in Astoria and Midtown, and it ships its sweets, such as eclairs, cheesecake, and cookies, nationwide. (Previously.) 

• Red Beard Coffee & Bakery, 194 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street

Red Beard debuted on Saturday. This sibling to the Lazy Llama on First Street serves espresso via Ioannis Coffee Chef and offers freshly baked bread, pastries, and several sandwich options. Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Previously.) 

Top photo via Pinch, the others by Lola Sáenz 

This smoke shop won't be reopening after an assault and robbery

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Several weeks ago, two smoke shops were robbed near Fourth Street and Avenue B — the Green Apple Smoke Shop, 240 E. Fourth St., and Best NY Smoke Shop at 46 Avenue B. 

The suspect allegedly assaulted the workers at both locations and has since been apprehended. Police sources tell us that the suspect had a gun, though it turned out to be fake. Per our sources, he was wanted for similar robberies in the Bronx and Uptown. 

Green Apple, one of the many unlicensed cannabis businesses to pop up in the past two years, never reopened after the attack. We're told the worker on duty was severely injured. 

The shop is now permanently closed. Yesterday, management started cleaning out the shop. We were invited inside to see the damage from the robbery...

Monday's parting shots

Felton Davis shares these photos from early this morning, noting: "In the enormous pre-dawn tableau, the rainbow could not be seen, but it was there, waiting for its moment..."

Click on the images for a bigger view...