DOWNTOWN EXPRES, JUNE 4, 2015 by Schneps Media

VOLUME 27, NUMBER 26

JUNE 4-JUNE 17, 2015

POLICE & PARENTS: DANGEROUS STREETS NEED CROSSING GUARDS BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C or a year and a half, school crossing guard Maria Acosta has been watching over children and pedestrians at the corner of Chambers and Greenwich Sts. near P.S. 234. Acosta, who was an elementary school teacher in her native Dominican Republic, wanted to be a crossing guard because it is the closest thing she could find here to her former job. “I really love to work with children,” she told Downtown Express before school let out one afternoon last week. Acosta kept her eyes on the lights, crosswalks and those crossing, with her hand hovering near her whistle.

Continued on page 6 Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess

The new fish carousel about to open in Battery Park, ran for the first time in a preview Monday night.

Horses Need Not Apply:

Battery Park carousel to open in July

attery Park’s long-awaited colorful Seaglass Carousel with fish instead of horses will “definitely” open sometime next month, a Battery Conservancy spokesperson told Downtown Express. Attendees of the conservancy’s annual gala Monday night got the first glimpse of the fish lit up.

“It was very exciting to see it in play for the first time,” said a second source. She said the carousel, open until 10 p.m., will cost $5 per ticket and will no doubt draw Downtown families, tourists and couples from all over. “It’s absolutely beautiful at night,” she said. “It’s very romantic.” The exact opening date in July

has not yet been announced. About two-dozen more fish are expected in the park. Officially the park is now known as simply Battery, under a change the city Parks Dept. quietly made in February, the New York Times reported last week. The idea is to limit confusion with the park’s next-door neighbor, Battery Park City.

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ODD POLITICS It’s literally an odd year for politics Downtown. There’s usually something interesting in the “evens” — state Assembly and Senate races as well as ones for Congress and either governor or president. Every other “odd” has mayoral and City Council elections, but then there’s years like this one with mostly offices for positions few people know much about like Democratic district leaders — unpaid Election Day watchdogs who are also supposed to keep the paid pols in touch with their communities. A month ago when district leader Jenifer Rajkumar announced her run for reelection with an unusually high-profile event drawing the likes of Public

Advocate Tish James and two members of Congress — Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney — she didn’t know if she’d have a challenger in September. But this week, Gigi Li, chairperson of Community Board 3, announced she would try and unseat Rajkumar. That’s when things got interesting. Sean Sweeney, a Rajkumar ally and a longtime leader of Downtown Independent Democrats, told UnderCover that in his view, Li was both a “carpetbagger” and a “sacrificial lamb” whom Councilmember Margaret Chin put up to run against Rajkumar, who unsuccessfully ran against Chin in 2013. We’re not sure of Chin’s role in Li’s decision since the often press-shy councilmember and Li didn’t comment, but it is true that Li faces a tough battle against Rajkumar in part because she lives in a different part of the Assembly district, Chinatown. Rajkumar, a Battery Park City resident, has previously beaten two B.P.C. residents with strong and longer ties to the neighborhood — Linda Belfer in 2011, and Robin Forst in 2013 — the same primary she lost to Chin. “Ms. Li does not live in our district and has no connection to or record in our community whatsoever,” Rajkumar said

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June 4-June 17, 2015

At last, ‘Freedom Tower’ opens to the public

Democratic district leader Jenifer Rajkumar, above left, at her campaign announcement last month, standing next to Public Advocate Tish James. With them are U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney center, and Jerry Nadler, right. Below is Gigi Li, who is running against Rajkumar.

in a statement. “She and our community would be far better served if she would pursue her ambitions in the Chinatown district in which she actually lives. ” In an interview, Rajkumar said she takes any election challenge seriously, and Sweeney’s theory about Chin’s influence is “plausible.” Li is permitted to run in any part of the 65th Assembly district including Part C (much of B.P.C., FiDi, with snippets of the Lower East Side and Soho ) since she does live in the A.D. For her part, Li, who has taken heat from some Downtowners who think she hasn’t been tough enough on liquor license applications at the community board, did not respond to an interview request. She sent us a statement saying she offered “genuine leadership experience….I know that together we can make incredible strides and get the real results our community needs. In the coming weeks I’ll be speaking directly with residents across the district about my plan.” There are at least two challenges in the 66th Assembly district, just to the north and west. Jean Grillo and John Scott, two district leaders, who splintered from Sweeney and the rest of D.I.D, last year, are now being challenged respectively by Terri Cude, a leader at Community Board 2 in the Village, and Dennis Gault, a resident of north B.P.C. and longtime Community Board 1 member. “It’s been 10 years, I think it’s time for change and new energy,” Cude told us. “I think I can bring a better balance between the south and north edges of the district.” Grillo and Scott live close to each other in Tribeca. She dismissed the balance argument as phony since D.I.D. endorsed them before she and Scott formed Downtown Progressive Democrats last year. Grillo said she has always stayed connected to all parts of her part, B. She is proud to have the endorsement of Assemblymember Deborah Glick of the 66th A.D. and Councilmember

Corey Johnson, who covers the north, as well as many other pols including Chin, U.S. Rep. Nadler, and State Sen. Daniel Squadron. Gault, who favors term limits, said he does not look at his campaign as running against Scott, but just as a way to strive toward the democratic ideal. “One of my lifelong idols is George Washington,” he said. “He said we didn’t fight the English to have another king. He left after eight years as president to let someone else take the leadership role.” He didn’t compare Rajkumar and her co-leader, Paul Newell, to G.W., but he did say he looks to them as district leader role models for using their positions to raise important issues. Gault, a teacher, wants to focus on education, affordable housing and subway improvements. Scott did not comment. We circle back to Sweeney, who unlike Jeb Bush a few weeks ago, had no hesitation saying if he knew then, what he knows now, he would have did things differently. He said he regrets helping Chin unseat Councilmember Alan Gerson six years ago. “Yes, everyone agrees [now] Gerson was better — at least he was not vindictive,” Sweeney said. “Gerson was the preferred candidate. He would not have sold us out on N.Y.U. and he would have supported the community’s struggle against the Soho BID.” DowntownExpress.com

BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C Cool blues, high-tech gadgetry, dizzying heights and amazing vistas mark the experience at the now opened One World Observatory. It begins by entering 1 World Trade Center, or the Freedom Tower, on its West St. side and going down into the building. Its opening day, Fri., May 29, lines flanked both sides of the entrance in the afternoon — the crowds were out in full force. The sun beat down on those waiting in line for their timed entrance into the Observatory — and many made hats out of paper and used umbrellas as shields. Entrance times were periodically yelled out. An employee who had been there since 8:30 a.m. said the crowd had built as the day progressed. Upon entering and after getting through security, which includes random full-body scans prevalent at airports, visitors are greeted by a giant screen with a myriad of facts about those who go to the Observatory. Once a ticket is scanned, the hometown or country of the visitor will appear on the screen and the welcome salutation will be in their mother tongue. Eighty-eight countries and all 50 states can be displayed. Next is moving footage of those that spent over a decade building 1 W.T.C. — including construction workers, architects and Port Authority officials. Called “Voices,” the tunnel-like area had rectangles jutting out on one side, as people said things like “spent 12 years of my life on this project” and “I have never experienced a project like this.”

Downtown Express photos by Milo Hess

Views from One World Trade Observatory.

Javier Medrano liked this interactive aspect of the visit. “I’m from New York City so I had to go do this,” he said. “Foundations” allows visitors to walk through bedrock material that flashes facts — like the bedrock foundations of 1 W.T.C was formed 450 million years ago — about what anchors the tower. On to the main event — the view. To get there, one boards at a bank of five

Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

People waited in line on opening day.

elevators or “Sky Pods.” Inside of the elevators are floor-to-ceiling high definition televisions that display time-lapsed video that shows the development of the New York City skyline. Don’t blink or you’ll miss the incredible display. The ride is around 47 seconds long and you feel it when you disembark. Each elevator holds four to five people. For Gerald Koral, a member of the Marines, the ride up with the historical

timeline was one of his favorite parts. Koral, 22 and a Queens native, had visited the Twin Towers as a child, but didn’t go the top. His commission as a second lieutenant just happened to be the same day as the Observatory’s opening. Visiting it reminded him why he joined the Marines, he said. Once off the elevator, the “See Continued on page 10

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June 4-June 17, 2015

Hit & run suspect may have been high, police say TEENS ARRESTED IN CHINATOWN RAPE Three teenagers were arrested Tuesday for the raping and robbing of a woman, 33, early Monday morning, June 1, at 5 a.m., police say. Video from a Chinatown deli shows the woman, beaten and bleeding, walking into the store to ask for help, around 5:10 a.m., the New York Times reported. Minutes earlier, she had been raped by two of the three teens and also robbed of her purse, which held her identification and keys. She had met the three teens at an Internet cafe at 75 Eldridge St., near the deli, the Times reported. The woman was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital on the Upper East Side, where she is in stable condition, according to police. Police released video of the three suspects entering the woman’s building at 5:11 a.m., according to the video’s time stamp. They seem nonchalant and unhurried, each pulling up the hood of their sweatshirts, which were soaked from the rain. One looked directly at the security camera as he pulled up his

hood. They then climb the stairs. About a minute later, the three run down the stairs and leave. The three teenagers — all 16 and from Brooklyn — were arrested at 4:35 a.m. on Tues., June 2. Eric Pek and Emanuel Burrows were charged with rape, robbery, assault, burglary and grand larceny. Pek was charged with petit larceny and Burrows with attempted petit larceny. The third teenager, Sanat Asliev, was charged with attempted rape, assault and attempted burglary. Pek has been arrested six times before; Burrows 11 times, DNAinfo reported.

SUBWAY ASSAULT A man, 43, did something late Thursday night many of us do everyday: he was getting ready to swipe his MetroCard. This time, however, a man grabbed him from behind at the Rector St. (1) station, put him into a headlock and threw him to the ground, police say. The suspect, who looked to be about 25, then stole the man’s wallet. The incident took place on Thurs., May 28 at 11:30 p.m. Police say that the suspect

Image courtesy of NYPD

Two stills from a video police released before they arrested three suspects in a Chinatown rape.

followed the man into the subway. After snatching the wallet, the suspect fled — getting away with credit cards and a $140 N.J. transit bus card. The man refused medical attention, according to police.

BABY CLOTHES HEIST A thief got away with oodles of baby clothes — valued at $3,853 — from Giggle, at 120 Wooster St. in Soho, police say. A female employee, 47, told police that a man around 30 entered the store on Fri., May 29 at 11:45 a.m. and grabbed over 140 clothing items — including leggings, dresses, hats and sweatshirts — from a table and fled.

BICYCLE THIEVES The warm weather last week may have inspired cyclists as well as thieves as several bikes were stolen. On Wed., May 27 at 8 p.m., a man, 40, was making a delivery at 388 Greenwich St. — Citigroup headquarters — in Tribeca and left his motorized bike, worth $1,421, unlocked outside the tower, police say. When he came back, the bike was gone. In another incident, this time in the Financial District, a man left his Citi

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have looked for the sign to Brooklyn upon exiting the tunnel,” said Schwartz, also a Downtown Express traffic columnist. “That sign leads you to Erickson Pl. by the First Precinct, which leads to Walker St. From there one would take Walker to Broadway to Chambers or around City Hall Park to the bridge.”

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Heather Hensl, victim of the April hit and run on the Beekman St. sidewalk, with one of her daughters last month.

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Iocco said, and had been working with the insurance companies. In a written statement to the insurance companies, Murdaugh had written that she was the one driving the car that day, he said. The police ended up finding her on social media. “She ended up answering our detectives back,” said Iocco. “We told her we were investigating the insurance claim and she came in. We asked her to write a statement. She probably didn’t want to contradict herself so she wrote here also that she was the only one driving the vehicle — which then we don’t need the positive ID and she was arrested.” Iocco was asked if a video — viewed by Downtown Express that showed the driver backing up several times to maneuver enough room to drive on the sidewalk to pass traffic — had played a role in the arrest. Iocco said he didn’t think it had as “the first thing the detective squad did is ask to her to write a statement about her whereabouts that day in Manhattan. She didn’t admit to an accident, but she did admit to being the only one driver of the vehicle.” It remains to be seen where Murdaugh was going that day. Traffic expert “Gridlock Sam” Schwartz said in an email that it doesn’t make sense if she exited from the Holland Tunnel that she ended up on Beekman St. to get to Brooklyn, where she was allegedly involved in another incident 30 minutes later. “Even if this were her first time going from the Holland to the Brooklyn Bridge she would probably

$2,500 MISTAKE An East Village man was hanging out at the White House Tavern at 25 Bridge St. in the Financial District on Fri., May 29 at 7:45 p.m. and put his black backpack on the floor in front of his seat, police say. He then left the bar — and his bag, which contained a $2,500 Apple MacBook Pro 15, police say. When he realized an hour later that he forgot his backpack, he called the bar and then returned to look for it, but the bag and computer were gone.

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Bike in front of 125 Cedar St. on Thurs., May 28 at 2:20 p.m. so that he could deliver medication, police say. He told police he was gone for five minutes — enough time for the bike, worth $1,200, to be stolen. The day before, police arrested a 37-year-old Brooklyn man, for stealing a Citi Bike. He told police that he “found” the bike at the corner of Chambers and West Sts. on Wed., May 27 at around 3 p.m. He then took the bike for a ride on the sidewalk in Battery Park City, and was then arrested, police say.

BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C Police say the suspect in the Beekman St. hit and run accident in April may have been under the influence of marijuana. Tiffany Murdaugh, 34, was arrested on Tues., May 19 for an incident that seriously injured Heather Hensl, a 37-year-old mother who was walking to work when she was struck on the sidewalk. Hensl has been unable to walk without crutches and a brace and, at one time, feared that the investigation would be dropped. “Obviously, [this] was a very serious case and there was a lot of outrage,” said Captain Mark Iocco of the First Precinct. “We were happy finally getting [Murdaugh] to come in.” While the police had been able to identify the plates of the car, witnesses could not positively identify the driver because the car, a 2013 white Dodge Challenger, has tinted windows. Also, as Murdaugh lives in New Jersey, there were jurisdiction issues. The crash, which happened Monday morning, April 13, occurred near Spruce Street School during morning drop-off — parents and the community alike were angry over the case and the lack of an arrest. A Spruce Street School parent and Community Board 1 Chairperson Catherine McVay Hughes expressed thanks that an arrest had been made at the First Precinct Community Council meeting on Thurs., May 28. The precinct had trouble contacting Murdaugh,

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1(855) 239-Care (2273) Ask for Ron June 4-June 17, 2015

Calls for more crossing guards

Felony charges against drivers are too rare, advocates say BY DUSI CA SUE M ALESEVI C The seriousness of the charges Tiffany Murdaugh — including assault in the second degree — faces is unusual in reckless driving cases that don’t involve a fatality, alcohol or fleeing from police. Murdaugh, 34, is accused of driving on the sidewalk to pass traffic early Monday morning on April 13 and striking Heather Hensl, 37, who was on her way to work. Hensl was seriously injured and Murdaugh allegedly left the scene and was involved in another incident in Brooklyn 30 minutes later. “It’s pretty rare for someone to be charged in a vehicular assault,” said Charles Komanoff, a traffic analyst. For Komanoff, the most disturbing thing is not the hit and run, but the wanton disregard for human life by driving onto and on the sidewalk. The incident, which happened near Spruce Street School during its morning drop off catalyzed parents and the community, who called for an arrest and increased enforcement. Hensl, a mother of two, feared

Continued from page 1

On a rainy Tuesday afternoon, she stood sentinel in a yellow slicker. Polly Brandmeyer and her son Nick, a third grader at P.S. 234, talked about how happy they were to have Acosta as their crossing guard. Acosta is personable, Brandmeyer said, and everyone knows her. Having her at the intersection is important as “it is so dangerous especially when cars are turning,” she said. “I think she is great; she does a great job,” said Donna Walker, who waited in the schoolyard under an umbrella. Walker recounted that just the day before, she saw a truck trying to push through the crosswalk and Acosta stopped it with her whistle. “We’re very lucky,” said Walker, who has a third and fifth grader at the school. But other schools in Lower Manhattan are not as lucky to have someone like Acosta, who is quick with a smile, friendly and intent on using her whistle. (Acosta declined to be photographed for this article, citing N.Y.P.D. policy.) There are three Lower Manhattan intersections where the N.Y.P.D. thinks crossing guards are needed. If the vacancies remain though the summer the number will go to four when Peck Slip School opens in a new building. Spruce Street School, which moved to its permanent home in the Gehry building in 2011, has been without a crossing guard. A recent hit and run, which occurred during morning drop off and left a woman seriously injured, has spurred calls for a crossing guard. This is not the first time an incident has taken place near the school. Three years ago, a U.P.S. driver was struck at Beekman St. near Nassau St. and died later from complications of the accident. The First Precinct has heard from parents and the community at meetings about the need of a crossing guard. “I also want a crossing guard there,” Captain Mark Iocco said at the First Precinct Community Council meeting on May 28. “I made that recommendation in writing.” A request has been put in for a crossing guard to be stationed on Beekman at William St., near the entrance of the school and where eventually there will also be an entrance to a parking garage below the school, said Gene Schatz, one of the precinct’s community affairs officer at the meeting. Another request has also been put in for a crossing guard at Pearl St. and Peck Slip for the new Peck Slip School, which will open this fall in the Seaport.

June 4-June 17, 2015

Downtown Express photo by Dusica Sue Malesevic

Parents and children crossing the West Side Highway, a.k.a. West St. The crossing guard was blowing her whistle at the drivers.

Currently, there are four crossing guards stationed within the First Precinct’s boundaries: MacDougal and West Houston Sts., Chambers and Greenwich Sts. near P.S. 234 in Tribeca, and in Battery Park City: Battery Place and 1st Place near P.S./I.S. 276 and Chambers and West Sts. near P.S. 89/I.S. 289. For P.S./I.S. 276 and P.S. 89/I.S. 289, two spots have been assigned for crossing guards, but only one for each school has been filled. Schatz said the precinct is looking to fill those two spots. At the busy West Side Highway near Chambers St., Zaida Martinez has been a crossing guard for a year and a month. “I’m so happy to take care of everybody,” Martinez told Downtown Express on a recent hot Friday afternoon. The highway, also known as Route 9A or West St., has a tremendous amount of traffic and cars blocked the crosswalk as parents with strollers and kids had to maneuver around them to cross the wide street. Martinez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, was a crossing guard once before in 2010, but left to take care of her father. Both she and Acosta work part time, five hours a day, 25 hours a week — the maximum amount they can work. For Shaun D. Francois I, president of the guards’ union, Local 372, that is part of the problem — the shortage of school crossing guards. A low hourly wage and the lack of benefits during the summer months have discouraged many from applying for the job. “That means in the summertime, they have [to] choose between buying some loaf of bread or milk or paying their [med-

ical] premium,” he said. The starting pay for a crossing guard was $9.88, but that was just bumped up to $11.50 on April 1, Francois said. While the increase is a beginning, “that’s still not enough for living standards,” he said. The union, which is comprised of N.Y.C. Board of Education employees, is pushing for $15 an hour and continued benefits during the summer, he said. There are around 2,300 crossing guards throughout the city, he said, and around 200 vacancies that need to be filled. Francois said that the vacancies have been a persistent problem for years. “School crossing guards are crucial to street safety around our schools, and Manhattan’s children are especially vulnerable because we have more unfilled crossing guard positions than any other borough,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said in a statement to Downtown Express. Manhattan is home to over 500 schools, but only has 349 crossing guard positions — and many of those are vacant, according to Brewer’s office. “The city must act to fill existing vacancies, but we also need to increase guard headcount overall and deploy additional guards through a data-driven process that includes teachers, parents and community boards,” said Brewer. Even when a crossing guard is assigned, like in the case of P.S. 276 whose crossing guard has been out, it is difficult to get a sub for them. In the absence of an assigned guard, other members of the service, such as police officers, will be assigned to cover or monitor the post, Detective Kellyann Ort from N.Y.P.D.’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information, wrote

in an email Tuesday. In addition to increasing pay and lifting the cap on working hours, Brewer wants to have a regular, central recruitment process for crossing guards rather than individual recruitment for each position through local police precincts. Also, there should be an increase in the overall crossing guard headcount by budgeting to create additional positions as well. Crossing guards are under the auspices of the N.Y.P.D. — and must apply at the precinct. At the First Precinct, there is an allocation for a certain amount of crossing guards, Iocco told Downtown Express last month. The precinct currently has four applicants that potentially could fill each vacancy. Each applicant goes through a background check, medical screening and completes six days of training. Ort said schools and posts are assessed regularly by precinct commanding officers. These assessments include, but are not limited to a review of traffic conditions, school size and street closures, she said. These posts are then staffed in priority order, said Ort. Francois, the union leader, said that crossing guards are dedicated workers that are out in inclement weather — whether it is raining, snowing, hailing or a heat wave. He talked about a recent incident in the Bronx, where a woman was hit for the second time in the same intersection. “The principal himself had called for a crossing guard for the last four years to deaf ears,” he said. “It shouldn’t take somebody getting hurt or somebody being severely injured or even killed for them to open their ears to see that the crossing guard is needed.” DowntownExpress.com

at one point that the N.Y.P.D. would drop the investigation. “I have no doubt that community mobilization forced Cy Vance’s hand and forced the N.Y.P.D.’s hand,” said Komanoff, referring to the Manhattan district attorney. “It’s terrific that this driver has been charged,” he added. “It is appalling that it took five weeks. It’s outrageous that it’s cause for celebration. It ought to be automatic rather than rare — charging for criminal driving.” Marco Conner, legislative and legal manager for Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group for pedestrian and bicyclist safety, said that while it is not unprecedented to bring charges of this nature, including the felony charge — it is rare in cases that do not involve a fatality, drunk driving, someone fleeing from the police or intentionally hitting the victim with their car. Transportation Alternatives combed through media reports and Connor said that from that compilation, in 2013, 192 pedestrians and cyclists were killed by drivers.

In 28 of those crashes, the driver was arrested. Out of those 28 incidents, the district attorney prosecuted 12, said Connor. Out of those 28, only two cases were prosecuted that did not involve drunk driving or someone fleeing the police, said Connor. “In that sense, it’s highly commendable, I think, that D.A. Vance is bringing [these] charges,” said Connor in a phone interview.

However, he said, there has been a lack of willingness of New York City district attorneys to prosecute those who are driving reckless and injuring pedestrians and bicyclists. “One of the reasons that have been put forth for years by the D.A. offices is that the facts simply don’t support bringing criminal charges because of legal precedent,” he said. Continued on page 8

Beekman suspect Continued from page 5

There is the possibility that she was on Broadway and went past the City Hall loop mistakenly to Ann St. and turned left. Then she could have gone to William St. and then tried to backtrack on Beekman St., he said. Murdaugh, who was arraigned on May 20, is out on bail charged with assault, reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident. Her

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next court appearance is Aug. 25. Her lawyer, Lamar Miller, did not return a call for comment. According to the complaint from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office, she was shown the video and identified her car in it. “She made a verbal statement that she was smoking marijuana maybe — maybe she blacked out,” said Iocco. “The bottom line the D.A. was very positive going forward with this case.”

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Advocates say hit & run prosecutions are too rare Continued from page 7

The case law, he explained, that has developed over the years has such a high bar for what is considered reckless driving that D.A.s say it really takes egregious driving behavior to convict someone. Traditionally, some of this case law has developed to the point of requiring a number of violations occur before the driver can be held to any criminality, said Conner. This has become known as the rule of two. For example, a driver would have to commit two moving violations, such as speeding and failing to yield, while striking the victim, said Connor. Unless these violations are present, he said, there is the belief that it’s insufficient to charge someone and get a conviction. Connor said that this has created an acceptance by the N.Y.P.D. and the D.A. “that as long as the driver says, ‘oops, I didn’t see the person, they were in my blind spot, the weather was poor, the visibility was poor’ — then they essentially tend to

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‘I have no doubt that community mobilization forced Cy Vance’s hand and forced the N.Y.P.D.’s hand.’

get off scot free.” The Wall Street Journal reported last year that 66 drivers were arrested under vehicular homicide laws — or five percent — out of 1,298 fatal crashes in New York City between 2008 and 2012. How many of those 66 drivers were convicted remains to be seen. It is difficult to ascertain how many cases were dismissed, pleaded down or ended in a conviction. In the age of Vision Zero — the city’s plan to eliminate traffic deaths — D.A.s need to treat traffic violence and vehicular crime as seriously as other types of crime have been treated in the past, such as drugs or corruption, said Connor.

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“The fact that District Attorney Vance is bringing these charges against this driver is good,” he said. “It’s good that he’s sending this message and

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 11:45am Gone But Not Forgotten Trinity Churchyard A memorial service honoring those who have died without remembrance, especially those who died on the streets. Brown Bag Lunch distribution to follow at 12:45pm.

live musical performances, games and movies, returns for its second year starting at 5 p.m. on June 17, and then again July 8, Aug. 12 and Sept. 9. “Water St. is the place to be this summer,” Alliance president Jessica Lappin said in a statement.

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Forever” theater is next. Like a cubist painting brought to life, the rectangular sections show the pulse of the city, hitting upon its different neighborhoods. The film “was edited and scored to a tempo based on pedometer data of the average New Yorker,” according to the press release. After the video is over, the sections lift to reveal the skyline. “I thought it was great — it was magical,” said Edward Matthews, who is from Manchester, England. Matthews said that while it chaotic inside, the view on the Observatory deck was breathtaking. The Observatory offers a spectacular panorama of the city and one could get lost walking around it, trying to identify landmarks and building. There is the obligatory photo you can get a la Empire State building and of course, a pricey gift shop (adult tee-shirts are $30 and $35). All that spoke with Downtown Express on opening day said it was worth the wait for the incredible views. Downtown Exp May A 2015:Layout Admission is $32.

“I thought it was amazing,” said Jennifer Williams, from Atlanta, Georgia. Williams had been to the Twin Towers years ago and said the new Observatory’s view definitely compares. “It was nice — you could see all the way to New Jersey,” said Nadiyah AbdurRashid, 19, who lives on the Upper West Side. Abdur-Rashid liked that one is able to see the entire city and said visiting is something everyone should do. Alex Bain, 20, is a junior at Fordham who was visiting with his friend from Texas, Adrian Annicchiarico, 20, a University of Houston student. Both said that it took too long to get to the top, but once there, it was worth it for the awesome views. “It was a great experience … almost dizzying — the lift is very fast,” said Oliver Jackson-Rose, who was visiting with his wife Anita and their two kids Lucas and Lee from London. “The view here is way more open, whereas the Empire State building feels more trapped.” The Observatory also has a dining area, which will have three sections — a grab and go, in the style of Dean & 1 5/20/15 12:51 PM Page 1 DeLuca, a bar and grill, and then a fine

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TRANSIT SAM Thurs., June 4 – Wed., June 10 ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT ALL WEEK River-lock strikes Lower Manhattan once again with closures at the Hudson and East River crossings! In the Holland Tunnel, one New York-bound and one New Jersey-bound tube will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Thursday and Friday nights. Expect delays at the neighboring bridges — the Brooklyn and Manhattan namely. Another Thursday night of Hudson River tunnel trouble: in the Lincoln Tunnel, the New York-bound tube will close 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday, as will one New York-bound lane in the Holland Tunnel. The Lincoln Tunnel closure will send drivers down to the Holland, which will be slow because of its own closure. There’s a 33 consecutive hour closure of all Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge this weekend starting midnight Friday and ending 9 a.m. Sunday. During the closure, use the Manhattan or Williamsburg bridges as an alternative. On West St./Route 9A one south-

bound lane will close from Vesey St. to West Thames St. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Public schools are out on Thursday for a conference day, which will make for lighter a.m. commutes. Take note that they’ll be back on Friday, as the summer break doesn’t start until after June 26. The Little Italy Pedestrian Mall will close Mulberry St. between Canal and Broome Sts. and Hester St. between Mott and Baxter Sts. 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. nightly through September. The Eggrolls and Egg Creams Block Party will close Eldridge St. between Canal and Division Sts. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The Vesak Celebration will impact a number of streets in Lower Manhattan with closures 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, including: Mott St. between Bayard St. and Chatham Sq., Chatham Sq. between Mott St. and East Broadway, East Broadway between Chatham Sq. and Market St., Market St. between East Broadway to Division St., Division St. between Market St. and Bowery, Bowery between Division and Bayard Sts., and Bayard St. between Bowery and Mott St.

Seaport’s Wavertree ships off for restoration The Stone St. Pedestrian Mall will close Stone St. between Hanover Sq. and Broad St., and Mill Ln. between Stone and South William Sts. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

FROM THE MAILBAG: Dear Transit Sam, I live very close to the Manhattan Bridge approach at Canal and Bowery. For the last several weeks evening traffic has been crawling at the entrance to the upper roadway to Brooklyn with the lower roadway either closed or routed with traffic into Manhattan. What is the cause of all this evening traffic onto the Manhattan Bridge? There are intermittent traffic agents at the intersection.

Dept. of Transportation has been closing lanes on the inbound Brooklyn Bridge for construction and therefore has been opening more inbound lanes on the Manhattan Bridge’s lower level (by closing outbound traffic) from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. So you may be seeing residual delays into the evening rush hour. Two, there are diversions on weekends from the inbound Brooklyn Bridge being closed. In fact, there’s a closure this weekend (see above). What puzzles me is that you note this during the evening over “several weeks” and say that the lower level is closed or Manhattan bound. If this continues, at times other than the weekend closures, please take photos and note times and send them to Detective Schwartz (transitsam@downtownexpress.com). I’ll take it from there. Transit Sam

Mitchell, Lower Manhattan Dear Mitchell, I’ve been doing a little detective work but I will need more info from you. Here are two construction jobs that may be related to what you are seeing: one, the

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BY JANEL BLADOW Under a gloomy overcast sky, the crowd cheered and a bagpiper played as the 130–year– old Wavertree was gracefully maneuvered away from Pier 16 in the South Street Seaport two weeks ago. The East River soon looked like it did more than a century ago — a wavy steel blue “Street of Ships.” The ironclad sailing ship joined other vessels, including the Pioneer under full sail, and headed down New York Harbor. It was a grand sendoff Thurs., May 21, 2015, as the South Street Seaport Museum’s battered gem made her way to new home in Staten Island. The crown jewel of the museum’s fleet of historic ships will spend the next 12 months at Caddell Dry Dock and Repair where she will undergo a massive $10.6-million stabilization and restoration, the largest project of its kind ever in the U.S. “Nothing is happening on this scale nationwide,” said Captain Jonathan Boulware, executive director of the museum. “This is a big, big deal…. “We’re kicking off a year-long restoration that has been seven years in the making. Our goal is to keep the ship alive, getting it into as close to Bristol condition as possible. This…is presenting a very different picture from what the South Street Seaport Museum was in the last decade. “I’m more hopeful for the museum than ever,” he said as the crowd broke into cheers. The stabilization and restoration job is funded

Photo by Susie McKeown Photography/Courtesy of South Street Seaport Museum.

The Wavertree May 21, 2015, the day she left the South Street Seaport Museum for an extensive restoration.

by the city’s Dept. of Cultural Affairs, the City Council and the borough president. Tom Finkelpearl, commissioner of Cultural Affairs, noted that he has lived on “South Street since the ’80s and this is my little front yard.” He read a letter from Mayor T:8.75” de Blasio, which said

in part: “I’m delighted to commend South Street Seaport Museum team.” City Councilmember Margaret Chin, whose district includes the Seaport, thanked Boulware Continued on page 24

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DowntownExpress.com

June 4-June 17, 2015

BY JANE L B L A D O W Busy times in the neighborhood this last month. Lots of news to report.

MEET THE CAPTAIN…

The nice thing about writing a column is that I don’t have to stick to reporting the news all the time; I can actually have an opinion. I spent a morning talking with Captain Jonathan Boulware recently then watched him in action as he officiated sending one of his “babies,” Wavertree, out to get a $10.6-million over haul. The South Street Seaport Museum, which named him executive director two months ago, now finally has the right captain at the helm of this teetering ship. Not since Peter Stanford founded the museum has it had such a dynamic presence to pilot it through rough waters ahead. Boulware, who started with the museum in 2011 as the waterfront director and was promoted to interim president last year, has been around historic sailing ships all his life. He grew up in Mystic, Conn., where his dad was the head rigger at Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. “I grew up steeped in America’s nautical history,” he said. He went to sea on his first ocean voyage at 19 years old aboard the tall ship HMS Rose, a frigate built in 1757. “It was quite an experience and I was smitten with the life of ships and the sea.” But for him it wasn’t as much about being on the ocean, on a deck and out at sea as it was about the history and traditions of ships and seafarers. “I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret,” he said with twinkle in those eyes the color of both the sea and sky, “I’m not that passionate about sailing. I’m interested in people and how they experience their time on ships.” As an example, he talks about his most exciting moment aboard a ship and it was during that first Atlantic sail on a tall ship. “I remember climbing aloft in the rigging during a gale and being terrified,” he said. “I had a moment of hesitation and was hovering above a boiling sea. I remember thinking ‘I can’t.’ The guy behind shoved me. We had a job to do and there wasn’t room to not be able to do it. It all ended well and in hindsight it was quite safe. But I learned a valuable lesson about feeling smaller, less important, yet part of something amazing.” He wants New Yorkers and tourists alike to have such moving experiences,

June 4-June 17, 2015

to experience our nautical history handson. “That’s one of the most overlooked aspects of what we’re about. Here’s an opportunity to touch artifacts, experience history. “This museum is about education first and foremost. Being able to see and touch history is what makes it different from any other institution in the city…. “The South Street Seaport Museum is different from Mystic, different from maritime museums, because of its history. New York harbor played a fundamental part in America’s beginning. This is the birthplace of the United States, the center of its commerce.” Among his plans are to get tall ships coming back to dock at Pier 16. “Having ships call here at the Seaport is vital for tourism and will drive foot traffic.” From July 1–4, the museum will host L’Hermione, a full-size replica of the 1754 Concorde class frigate of the French Navy, which famously ferried General Lafayette to the U.S. following the American Revolution. To see the East River as a “Street of Ships” once again will only be possible with a thriving museum in the South Street Seaport. And to that end, Captain Boulware is so committed that he and his family — his wife of 20 years and young son — are moving here this summer. His key goal is to revitalize the museum. He notes that when it began in the 1970s, it had 25,000 members, “more than any other museum in New York City.” Today membership is growing again, and the number of volunteers is also up, more than 400. “We want to have programs and provide experiences for schoolchildren, tourists and adult New Yorkers,” he said. “It is a vital, community-based organization that can grow as a community center in the Seaport. This museum is the people.”

THE SOUNDS OF MUSIC…

Seaport’s own Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra kicks off the summer with a free concert on Friday, June 5, 8 p.m., “Hear the History” at Melville Gallery, 213 Water St. Pieces to be performed include J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, a rollicking Mozart Divertimento, and nautical-themed treasures by Charles Ives.

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night saw more than 150 people, including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilmember

Photo by Tyler Orehek

Captain Jonathan Boulware, the South Street Seaport Museum’s executive director, revealed a “dirty little secret: I’m not that passionate about sailing.”

SMORGASBURG IS BACK AT SEAPORT 8

Photo by Conni Freestone

A bulldog took a “Water Taxi ride” at the first annual “Strut, Swagger and Slobber” rescue event last month.

Margaret Chin, wander in Cannons Walk for the Old Seaport Fundraiser. They shopped the booths of 12 local artists selling handmade soaps to pet portraits. Music played from the newly launched Little Water Radio Station, prizes from local businesses were raffled off and bar was manned by local talents: Diane Honeywell (Nelson Blue) and Pete O’Connell (Paris Café). Organizers are so thrilled they hope to do more of these community-building events.

HOT DOGS…

In another fun event, the first annual “Strut, Swagger and Slobber” bulldog rescue event Saturday, May 16, in the median park on Peck Slip. Some 250 people and more than 150

dogs partied and pranced. The afternoon featured a Fido fashion parade, kissing booth and obstacle course hosted by celeb trainer Travis Brorsen. Even Leonardo DiCaprio was sighted stopping his bike to check out the cheeky canines. Event sponsors want to send out a big thanks to everyone who participated, including Old Seaport Alliance which helped gain city permits, Howard Hughes Corporation which donated $1,000 to bulldog rescue as well as tents and chairs. The alliance and The Salty Paw report that they raised more than $4,000 total to help bulldog rescue and have gotten called from other rescue groups to do similar fests. Look for more pup-parties to come! DowntownExpress.com

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Garden celebrates anniversary with salvation hopes BY LINC O L N A N D E RSO N On Saturday, the Elizabeth St. Garden celebrated its volunteers on the second anniversary of the effort that has brought the all volunteer-run Little Italy garden to life as a vibrant community space. It was a beautiful “Manhattanhenge” weekend afternoon, as golden sunlight streamed perfectly through the garden along its central west-east path. People ate and schmoozed, musicians played and kids cavorted and ran on the grass beside lion monuments and other sundry statuary. There was plenty of free food, from rhubarb pie and hummus to hamburgers. And guess who was grilling those burgers? Terri Cude, who had just finished running the kids biking program over at Mercer St. Playground. Also on hand was Tobi Bergman, chairperson of Community Board 2, who recently hit upon a brilliant solution that could save the beloved green space — namely, by shifting the affordable housing project currently slated for the city-owned Little Italy garden instead to a vacant, city-owned site in Hudson Square where C.B. 2 previously had hoped to create a park once the current

Downtown Express photo by Lincoln Anderson

Local kids, like this girl at a worm release, love the Elizabeth St. Garden.

Sunlight streamed through the Elizabeth St. Garden Saturday as activists and actively running kids congregated in the green space.

water-shaft project there is completed. Councilmember Margaret Chin last week said that she couldn’t comment on Bergman’s alternative proposal because that site is not in her district. Councilmember Corey Johnson’s spokesperson said their office has not been contacted about the alternative location at Hudson and W. Houston Sts. in his district.

“No one has reached out to us yet,” a Johnson spokesperson responded, saying he would have to look into the matter further. Meanwhile, Bergman, who said he has a good working relationship with Chin, expressed confident hope that the garden can be saved. But it will take some effort, he said. Last Saturday, Sharon D’Lugoff

and Gordon Ramsey were enjoying the Elizabeth St. Garden with Ace, their young daughter, who is already modeling for Diesel. It’s only been two years since the community found out the stunning space behind the chain-link fence was actually city-owned property, gained access to it and started using it heavily. “My other two daughters could only look through the fence,” D’Lugoff said.

Stonewall could make history again as a landmark individual and official landmark of BY ANDY HUM M The New York City Landmarks New York City — a worthy site that Preservation Commission will, this symbolizes one of the most importweek, begin consideration of landmark ant events in L.G.B.T. history for designation for the Stonewall Inn in not only New York City, but for Greenwich Village, site of the Stonewall the entire country. Recommending Rebellion of 1969 that sparked the mod- Stonewall Inn’s designation represents the Landmark Preservation’s ern L.G.B.T. rights movement. If approved, it would represent Commission’s commitment to honor New York’s unique and diverse the first such designation from cultural, social and political the commission exclusively for U heritage.” a site’s significance to the A RO N D Local politicians and the L.G.B.T. community. Greenwich Village Society At its Tues., June 2, meetfor Historic Preservation have ing, the commission considbeen pressing for the designaered whether to schedule a public tion for years — with increased hearing on the matter. In a written statement to Gay urgency more recently with sights on City News, Downtown Express’ sis- the 50th anniversary in 2019. Gay City Councilmember Corey ter paper, Meenakshi Srinivasan, the L.P.C. chairperson, said, “The Johnson, whose district includes the Stonewall Inn is widely known as the Stonewall, said in reaction to the birthplace of the modern L.G.B.T. development, “Wow! It’s shocking rights movement and holds a truly that in 2015 the Stonewall Inn was iconic place in history. In addition to never recognized as an individual its cultural importance, the building landmark given its hugely important still retains its architectural integrity symbolism and history. L.P.C. recogfrom its period of significance during nition is stronger than federal or state recognition. It brings with it more the Stonewall Rebellion. “I am proud to bring the Stonewall protection.” The designation would apply only Inn before the full commission to be considered for designation as an to the Stonewall’s exterior. For a time

after the bar closed in the 1970s, a bagel shop and pottery store occupied the spaces before a bar resumed operating in one of the storefronts. While the new bar appears to be thriving, there has been discussion in recent years of its possible use as a national L.G.B.T. history museum. Gay State Sen. Brad Hoylman, whose district also takes in the Stonewall and has, as well, pressed for the designation. He said he would also like to see the site designated by executive order as a national park by Barack Obama. The president mentioned Stonewall in his 2013 inaugual address. The street outside the bar, where the rebellion lasted for several days and nights in June of 1969, was named Stonewall Place by the city in 1989. A George Segal sculpture of gay and lesbian couples called “Gay Liberation” in Christopher Park across the street was dedicated in 1992. The Stonewall Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places and is listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places. But the city had previously balked at individual landmark status since the Stonewall is already within the

Last June, as part of the exhibition “Stonewall 45: Windows Into L.G.B.T. History,” more than two-dozen Christopher St. stores offered their windows as displays for colorful poster panels — like this one —celebrating the 45th anniversary of the start of the L.G.B.T. civil rights movement.

Greenwich Village Historic District, which was designated in April 1969, two months before the Stonewall Continued on page 20

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Like riding a bicycle On Saturday, the Bleecker Area Merchants’ and Residents’ Association sponsored a free “Learn To Ride a Bicycle” event at Mercer Playground to teach kids ready for a two-wheeler who to balance and ride. Trainers from Bike New York were on hand at the

www.citytech.cuny.edu/directadmission park and helped instruct more than 20 tykes on the essentials of riding a bike. Terri Cude, the event’s main organizer, was happy to report that a bunch of the children who had never ridden a bike before learned how to bicycle in just one session. DowntownExpress.com

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John W. Sutter

B Y V IC T O R IA G R AN THAM I was in the elevator with my husband when a guy who looked vaguely familiar walked in with a baby. I started playing peekaboo with the boy and cooing. “How old?” I asked. “Nine months,” he replied. “Oh we have a 24-month-old!” I exclaimed as if this was an incredible coincidence. I felt slightly sheepish for saying it, but to my relief he came back with an enthused, “That’s great!” Then, more sedately, brow furrowed, he continued, “they say it’ll get harder, or it’ll get easier, the baby will get more consistent, or he’ll constantly change… it’s confusing.” “Uck, I know,” I said. “Babies. We’re just along for the ride. No point in trying to crack the code.” When we got to the lobby he introduced himself and his son. We shook hands. “Have you lived here long?” he asked. “About 14 years,” I said. “You?” “Nine,” he laughed. We were all taken aback by the fact that our paths had overlapped for nearly a decade, but we’d never ever actually met. Still, I wasn’t surprised because the same thing had happened five years before. Our neighbors down the hall, a couple who we’d exchanged pleasantries with occasionally for years, had one child, then another. They seemed kind and friendly. I knew the woman had been an elementary school teacher and I know someone made delicious smelling Indian food because it often wafted from their apartment, but we didn’t know them. Then one day by the elevator she said, “I dreamt you had a baby.” I’m not one for palm readers and tarot cards, but I was intrigued. My husband Jay and I had just started trying to conceive, but she had no way of knowing this. I told Jay the story

LIFE DOWNTOWN and he later asked her about the dream baby’s gender. “It was a boy,” she said. Ten months later we had a boy and the neighbors we’d lived a dozen feet from, but barely knew became good friends practically overnight. When we brought our firstborn home from the hospital and he made a strange gasping for air sound we ran to them at 11 p.m. in a panic. We trusted them because they seemed like solid parents and with two toddlers

Are we too hard on sex offenders?

On a broader scale, the HRP Mamas group — made up of thousands of mothers in Lower Manhattan— has served as a source of information, new friends with kids my kids’ exact ages, playgroups and in the rough or confusing times, a place to get support and sage advice. I think its success has to do with how it’s run, but also with sheer population density— with that many moms living in such close proximity you’re pretty much bound to find a likeminded friend, someone who has a solution to your problem, or a buyer for the baby item your kid has outgrown. Until my kids arrived on scene I liked the concept of knowing my neighbors, but it didn’t feel like something truly necessary

Until I had kids I never appreciated how much of a supportive village New York City can be. they officially had tons more experience than we did — and let’s face it: we were desperate and they were close by. (It turned out the gasping was nothing— maybe hiccups.) After that we traded parenting tales, sought advice, arranged playdates and occasionally engineered doubles dates. I’ve lived in New York for nearly 20 years. I’ve always been attracted to how exciting, convenient and walkable the city is, but until I had kids I never appreciated how much of a supportive village it can be. With our amazing neighbors a borderline commune type of situation has evolved. In addition to lending each other sugar and eggs, we often pass the kids from one place to another and pitch in for each other whenever we can.

or urgent. Now it’s a lifeline. My peers in the suburbs marvel over the sacrifices we make in terms of space. Recently, over lunch at work, a colleague told me how she’d never be able to live in an apartment because she wouldn’t be able to give up her privacy. I countered that I’d have a hard time moving out of an apartment because I’d be afraid of gaining privacy— and losing connection — the connections that suddenly materialize — as if out of nowhere — and then just as suddenly become so critical as we navigate the winding and unpredictable path of parenthood together. Victoria Grantham, a writer and com- munications professional, is raising her family in Tribeca.

BY LENORE SKENAZY Emily Horowitz spends a lot of time with people other professors don’t. Criminals. Domestic violence victims. Domestic violence perps. Sex offenders. Guys convicted of murder. A teacher of sociology and criminology at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, she introduces her students to the same folks she is meeting in an effort to change the lives of all of them. Horowitz is one of those people who walks the walk. Before coming to St. Francis, she got her Ph.D. in sociology at Yale, concentrating in women’s studies and decided to spend a year in Brooklyn’s domestic violence court, watching as women finally got justice. But…that wasn’t what she saw. “It was just poor and unemployed men being slammed over and over,” says Horowitz, a mom of four. Horowitz agrees that if a man slapped his partner, he should be punished, but she thought the harsh sentences she witnessed weren’t designed to improve anyone’s prospects. She began to regard the criminal justice system with curiosity: How much was overkill baked into the system? To find out, she started inviting convicts who had been exonerated to speak to her class. People such as Marty Tankleff, who falsely confessed to killing his parents; Jesse Friedman, notorious from the movie “Capturing the Friedmans”; and even Bernard Baran. Who? “Bernard was a working class, gay

teenager who dropped out of high school in the late ’80s because he was bullied. He started working at a day care center,” says Horowitz. “But a couple went to the head of the day care and said they didn’t want a ‘homo’ watching their son. And the day care said, ‘We can’t fire a person because of that.’ Lo and behold, the couple alleged that Baron molested their son,” says Horowitz.

Researcher says domestic violence court is ‘just poor and unemployed men being slammed over and over.’ Baran was found guilty and given three life sentences. The judge said that putting a gay man in a day care center was like putting a chocoholic in a candy store — as if being a gay man and being a child molester were the same thing. The National Center for Reason and Justice championed Baran’s case, and he was finally freed after more than 20 years behind bars. He told the class what it was like

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June 4-June 17, 2015

Posted To Few N.Y.C. schools are visiting the 9/11 museum (POSTED, May 21): I find it bizarre that schools today do not find the time to thoroughly teach about 9/11. I mean, doesn’t it have a little bit of relevance in the world the students live in? Michael Burke Mr. Burke, as the father of a 9/11 victim I totally agree with your comment. However, I am not surprised by this negligence. What about the fact that there are schools that do not teach anything about the Vietnam War? It’s as if it doesn’t exist or ever

Continued from page 18

happened. A lot of men and women gave their lives in what they felt was an effort to protect democracy. Whether wrong or right, I think it is an insult to their memory and sacrifice to not even teach what happened. Will Sekzer Despite cries of foul, Seaport building appears headed for the wrecking ball (POSTED, May 21): There are a number of city, state and federal agencies who need to simply enforce the law and hold developer’s feet to the fire. That this site contains irreplaceable artifacts of the city’s past history makes this case in particular all

the more outrageous. The New Market Building in the hands of developers with real vision, could re-purpose the old Fulton Fish Market into a world-class food market to help provide good, fresh food choices for the entire downtown community, New Yorkers in general and the more than 12 million visitors to Lower Manhattan annually. Sadly, the city and its mayor as the chief in charge of protecting city assets, has failed on all fronts in this particular case. If the developer and the EDC have their way —we will have a luxury hi-rise tower for the 1%, no open space for the other residents here [and] a tower that will dwarf and obliterate the Continued on page 19

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view of the Brooklyn Bridge from most sight lines at or near the Seaport… John D. I couldn’t have said it better. We who live down here (I have been here since 1981) will be remiss if we don’t do everything we can to stop this criminal (I don’t think that’s too strong a word) planning to build a tower on the waterfront. Thank you for writing this. Zette E. UnderCover (POSTED, May 21): Spokesperson Magee does not return calls from a reporter? Some spokesperson! Typical M.O. It’s fortunate there is a public sector, DowntownExpress.com

to be a gay man in prison who had been convicted of child molestation: They put cigarettes out on his head. He was beaten. He was raped more than 30 times. As he told his story, students wept. Those tears — and those students — will go on to make a difference, Horowitz says, because many of her students go on to careers in law enforcement. “Now they will have a much more nuanced view of the people they’re dealing with,” she said. A couple of years ago, Horowitz taught a women’s studies class at the Bedford Hills women’s prison

because it benefits those who would never be hired in the private. D.E. Reader

LETTERS POLICY Downtown Express welcomes letters to The Editor. They must include the writer’s first and last name, a phone number for confirmation purposes only, and any affiliation that relates directly to the letter’s subject matter. Letters should be less than 300 words. Downtown Express reserves the right to edit letters for space, clarity, civility or libel reasons. Letters should be emailed to letters@downtownexpress.com or can be mailed to 1 Metrotech Center North, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

in Westchester. There she learned that until the ’90s, prisoners could get financial aid for college courses. New York State put an end to that, and the number of inmates getting an education plummeted — even though the recidivism rate for people who get college degrees in prison is under five percent. But a trickle of students still do manage to take classes behind bars, and Horowitz is determined to make

sure that at least some of them get the chance earn their degrees once freed. So this school year, she arranged for five formerly incarcerated students to matriculate at St. Francis. One has already proved such an amazing scholar — straight A’s — that the school is sending her on a Franciscan pilgrimage to Assisi. After all, St. Francis was all about helping and forgiveness. Her latest project is the just-published book, “Protecting Our Kids? How Sex Offender Laws are Failing Us” (Praeger, 2015). Ever the researcher, Horowitz discovered that the belief that sex offenders must be continually monitored to keep kids safe is based on fear, not fact. “Once people are no longer a threat, you don’t have to punish them to the point where you destroy their lives,” she says. “I’m not pro sex offender, I’m pro move-on-with-yourlife-once-you’ve-been-punished.” She’ll be reading from her book this Sunday night, June 7, at the Bluestockings bookstore, 172 Allen St., on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, at 7 p.m. Admission is free. If you’re wondering what it looks like when an academic talks the talk, walks the walk, and changes the lives of future cops and former convicts, don’t miss it. I know I won’t. Lenore Skenazy is a public speaker and author of the book and blog FreeRange Kids.

Tribeca ‘Vineyard’ at Pier 26 The Hudson River Park Trust has tapped restaurateur, Michael Dorf, founder and C.E.O. of City Winery in Tribeca, to run its eatery at Pier 26. Dubbed the City Vineyard, the glass-enclosed restaurant will offer vistas of the Hudson River as well of the Manhattan skyline and will have indoor and outdoor dining space that includes a rooftop cafe. It is slated to open May 2016, according to the press release.

City Winery, which regulalry attracts big musical names to the nabe, has three other locations nationwide in Chicago, Napa and Nashville. While those restaurants are focused on live music, Dorf said in the release the “vines will take center-stage” at City Vineyard, which will have an “aggressive and wine program.” The Trust will be talking about the restaurant June 10 at Community Board 1’s Tribeca Committee.

W W W. D O W N T O W N E X P R E S S . C O M

June 4-June 17, 2015

Push to landmark Stonewall Inn She said that the Wooster St. Firehouse, where the Gay Activists Alliance housed made history. The historic district its community center in the early 1970s, designation report creating the dis- is in many ways “more compelling.” And trict, as a result, makes no mention she said that “there are sites of gay clubs of the rebellion. Individual landmark in Harlem that are far more meaningful designation for the Stonewall now because it is where people –– particularly would preserve those remaining African-American people –– had their architectural features that it pos- early gay identification.” Despite the strong communisessed in June 1969. ty support for the contemplated Andrew Berman, leader of U designation, at least some of the Village preservation sociA RO N D those who participated in the ety, which spearheaded the Stonewall Rebellion balk at landmarking fight for years, a special status for the bar. called the latest development One of them, Village activist Jim “fantastic news.” Fouratt, recently made public a Berman said that the Stonewall’s interior is not up for landmark status since letter he wrote to the National Parks Conservation Association on the issue. it has been modified since 1969. “I very strongly support the des“But we don’t want it to become a Starbucks or a nail salon,” he said. “We ignation of the Sheridan Square park and others are looking to make sure that it [Christopher Park] becoming a nationremains a place that speaks to the history al park and designated a historical landmark because of what happened of the L.G.B.T. rights movement.” Lesbian Assemblymember Deborah that night in the street in front of the Glick, whose district includes the West Stonewall Inn,” Fouratt wrote. “I am Village, said, “It has been a good year for very opposed to designating a busigay people, with the Irish voting for love ness that was run by organized crime and now the city administration finally in contempt of the law and with the recognizing a key location for the L.G.B.T. knowledge of the local police force as a symbol of Lesbian and Gay liberation. community. It’s a start.” Continued from page 17

It is a private business still in operation. To me it is a symbol of oppression and not liberation. It would be appropriate to mark the street location as the spark that set off a series of events that forever changed the visibility and fight for equality for lesbians and gay men of all gender expression throughout the world.”

Looking to save memories of Soho On Facebook, John O’Brien, a longtime gay activist and historian — and, like Fouratt, a participant in the Stonewall Rebellion who was active in the Gay Liberation Front that emerged from it — praised the move toward landmarking the Stonewall. “Like many such landmarks, whether around wars, revolutions, or other

‘We don’t want it to become a Starbucks or a nail salon.’ Councilmember Johnson, for one, has a very different perspective on the bar. “The first time I visited New York City in 2000 — the year before I moved here — the first place I wanted to go was the Stonewall Inn,” he said. “I stood outside. I was just 18. I felt like a deep connection to this place that I had read and heard so much about. To now be the councilmember representing this district and have a chance to vote on it is incredibly meaningful and special.”

sites that were the scene of important history, the actual previous usage of the site is not the essential consideration, but what a site came to represent,” he wrote. Tree, a 76-year old bartender at the Stonewall “off and on for 45 years” who was at the Stonewall the day the rebellion broke out, said, “This makes us feel great. It’s about time.” Duell Management, which owns the Stonewall, did not return a call for comment.

reading in public places like Tompkins BY LI NCOLN ANDERSON Soho has a unique and fascinating Square Park. “I would like The Soho Memory history as a renowned artists’ enclave that Project to eventually have a permawas carved out of a dying manufacnent physical space,” Ohta said, “a turing zone. U A RO N D historical society where people But now the last vestiges of can come to learn more about that arts colony are, in turn, fadour neighborhood... But before ing fast, trampled asunder by the I can apply for grants... I need to feet of millions of shopping tourists have something tangible to show as the district has morphed into a funders that demonstrates my knowledge glitzy designer-goods destination. Yukie Ohta, who grew up in the area and commitment.” The Kickstarter cash also will be used when it was being settled by artists, and who still lives there today, is earnestly try- to create the initial display to be featured ing to retain some of that history through on the cart, which it is hoped will be rolled The Soho Memory Project. So far, it has out between fall 2015 and spring 2016. To chronicle Soho’s evolution from only existed as a blog. But now her goal is to create a mobile, rural farmland to high-end retail hub, pop-up display cart — and, in the long Ohta — who is a trained archivist — term, hopefully secure a storefront loca- uses unconventional media. At the launch party, a bookshelves-style Uni cart feation. On May 7, Ohta held a launch party tured in one cubbyhole Viewmasters in a Greene St. loft for a Kickstarter cam- loaded with photos from Soho’s different paign to raise $20,000 to create the mobile eras. Another section featured a “smell display. She reached the amount with four station” with three jars. One with pepper in it was meant to evoke the pepper facdays to spare. The cart will be designed by The tory that used to be on West Broadway, Uni Project, a nonprofit group devoted Ohta explained, as she sniffed it for effect. to pop-up learning experiences around Another jar held small strips of leather. “Where Balthazar is there were a lot of the city. Uni Project currently uses a cart with book-laden shelves to encourage leather businesses,” Ohta said.

Back in the 1970s and ’80s, there was also a lot of detritus left on the sidewalks by all the manufacturing places. “We all played with factory surplus,” she said. Perched on another part of the cart was a D.I.Y. binder, “How To Make a Loft,” that Ohta put together. Creating walls around the bathroom was one of the key first steps, she noted with a grin. There was also a black-and-white photo print that Stanley and Julie Patz — the parents of Etan Patz — gave her showing their raw loft space before they renovated it. “The idea that you could live and work in the same place was very revolutionary,” Ohta noted of Soho’s joint live-work quarters zoning that was specifically created for artists. “When I was growing up here, I remember walking down desolate streets,” she said. “There were no stores or restaurants, but I felt safe because everyone who lived here knew each other. I learned how to ride a bike in my house. And I also often slept in my coat because we didn’t have heat after 5 p.m. “When people think of Soho today, they think of high-end shopping and expensive lofts. Nobody thinks of it as a tightknit community where children

Take B or Q Train to Kings Highway

Downtown Express photo by Lincoln Anderson

Yukie Ohta models a Viewmaster containing photos from one of three distinct eras of Soho from the cart’s “History” section.

roamed free and people actually knew and liked their neighbors. That was the Soho of my childhood. That was the Soho out of which ideas such as the adaptive reuse of buildings and loft living were born, ideas that influence how we live today. “Soho currently has no neighborhood society dedicated to preserving its history, and I think it deserves one!” Ohta declared. For more on the Soho Memory Project, visit www.sohomemory.com

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Life lessons in business from dads of P.S./I.S. 276 students BY M I A RU PA N I Inspired by their mutual love for the “Harry Potter” series, sixth-grader Qian Qian and her friends agreed that after lending out books to friends, having them returned with the pages dog-eared was a pet peeve. Determined to make a change, they worked together to create a business they call Book Lovers. “We all thought that it was bad for the book to crease the pages…so bookmarks are better,” Qian Qian said. Book Lovers sells waterproof bookmarks with an assortment of designs. The product was first marketed last month at the Tribeca Film Festival family street fair, where the students made $99 in sales. Middle Schoolers like Qian Qian at P.S./I.S. 276 in Battery Park City have the option to join an afterschool program that allows them the opportunity to create and manage their own business. The program, named mini-Preneur is in its second year and is for elementary and middle school students. The co-founders, Apurva Dixit and Nik Ruparel, are business partners who are both fathers of children in the school. They came up with the idea after trying to explain to their children what they did for a living. They decided that the best way to teach their kids about entrepreneurialism was to show them. Dixit said children are able to easily grasp the concept.

This was evident on a recent Friday as students at P.S./I.S. 276 worked together to manage websites and create their own businesses. Qian Qian and the others plan to continue improving their business and building on what they have already learned. “We might expand to more products, like other book accessories,” she said. “We’re thinking of creating waterproof book covers too.” Eight-grader Jonathan is part of a group whose product is called Shell Force. It is a removable, customizable backpack cover that prevents germs from being carried into your home on your bag. “Learning about all the entrepreneurs out there and how they made a difference is really influential…I wanted to be a part of that,” Jonathan said. A third group of students swapped Web design ideas for their business called Hearts and Crafts, which sells pre-bundled art kits to kids and adults. Dylan, a sixth-grader and one of the creators of Hearts and Crafts, describes their product as “an arts and crafts kit that will supply all the materials you need to make three different crafts.” He said that by purchasing the craft kit, you save money because it is cheaper than trying to gather the materials at different retail stores. It is a good marketing technique that goes to show what the students have learned throughout the course of the

Activities JUNE 4-JUNE 17, 2015

LONG-RUNNING

Photo courtesy of Mini-preneur

I.S. 276 sixth-graders managing their business, Hearts & Crafts, at the Tribeca Film Festival fair earlier last month.

mini-Preneur program. “I think that the fact that we get to develop a business and see how it unfolds is my favorite part of this program,” Dylan said. “It’s a great opportunity to have the resources and people to help us get our business up and running.” Mini-Preneur is continuing to expand to more schools and offer more opportunities to kids who are interested in becoming

entrepreneurs. “We’re at a number of schools right now, but this summer we are going to run two summer camps,” Dixit said. The first camp, designed for younger children aged eight to 11, is located at Pine Street School, a private school at 25 Pine St. The ten-day camp will help kids learn Continued on page 24

DOWNTOWN DAY CAMPS Ages 4-13

ART TIME: Nelson A Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City; (212) 267– 9700; bpcparks.org; Thursdays, 10:30 am–noon; Free. Young artists are introduced to paper, clay, paint and other supplies. ART AND GAMES: Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City; bpcparks.org/event;Thursdays, 3:30– 5:30 pm,; Free. Create a fun project, make friends and play games. For children 5 years and older. ARTS ISLAND OUTPOST: Governors Island, Outside bldg. 14 in Nolan Park; (212) 274–0986; cmany. org; Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am–3 pm, Now – Sun, Sept. 27; Free. Enjoy a day out with art workshops, and fun projects. ART AND PLAY: Robert F. Wagner Park, Battery Park City; (212) 267–9700; bpcparks.org; Mondays – Wednesdays, 10 am–noon; Free. Preschoolers drop-in and play with other toddlers, in this interactive play time on the grassy lawn. Sing and hear stories too.

OPEN HOUSE

BASKETBALL CLINIC: Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City; bpcparks.org/event; Mondays,3:30–5:30 pm; Free. Staffers teach children of all ages the basics of the sport. No classes May 25, September 7 and October 12.

FEBRUARY 4TH, 6PM

TODAY! Downtown Community Center

SENIOR DIVISION: Grades 4-8

Private Pool • Field Sports • Pier 25 • Karate • Tennis Arts & Crafts • Music & Drumming • Movement Story Pirates • Song Shows • Weekly Field Trips • Choice Time For Senior Division Campers www.downtowndaycamps.com

 BUSING AVAILABLE

June 4-June 17, 2015

SOCCER CLINIC: Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City; bpcparks.org; Tuesdays, 2:30– 3:15 pm;3:30–4:15 pm and 4:30–5:30 pm; Free. Children learn the fundamentals of the game and pre-schoolers have fun kicking, running and being part of a team. Drop in. For ages 3 to 11 years old. YOUNG SPROUTS GARDENING: Nelson A Rockefeller Park (Children’s Garden), Battery Park City; (212) 267–9700; bpcparks.org;

Tribeca | Battery Park City | Lower Manhattan

DROP IN CHESS: Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City; bpcparks.org/event; Wednesdays, 3:30–5 pm; Free. Players of every level practice, learn and hone up on skills. For children 5 to 15 years old.

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the story of beloved pets Pongo and Perdita. The move pays tribute to Tyrus Wong, the artist who designed the Disney’s animated styles. For older children.

SUN, JUNE 7

SAT, JUNE 13

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY: 10 am–5 pm. Children’s Museum of the Arts. See Thursday, June 4.

MERMAID PARADE: Children’s Museum of the Arts, 103 Charlton St. at Hudson Street; (212) 274–0986; cmany.org; 10 am–5 pm; $11 per person; (seniors & infants free). Shine up those flippers and march through the museum.

MY CITY PARK DAY: Sara D. Roosevelt Park, E. Houston St. and Stanton Street; nycchildrenstheater. org; 1 pm; Free. Children learn the importance of community spaces - sing along puppet musical tells the story of Milo who finds out his favorite park is closing, so he asks his friends to help him save his park. Suitable for children 3 to 7 years old.

MON, JUNE 8 PLAYTIME: Teardrop Park, Battery Park City; bpcparks. org; Wednesdays, 3:30–5:30 pm; Free. Staffers teach children the value of play and create fun projects in drawing, sculpting and murals. For children 5 and older.

STORY PIRATES: Pier 25 in Tribeca. (212) 627-2020; hudsonriverpark. org; 6:30 pm. Free. Professional actors bring children’s original story ideas to life in front of their eyes.

WED, JUNE 10 JUNE 4 INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY: Children’s Museum of the Arts, 103 Charlton St. at Hudson Street; (212) 274–0986; cmany. org; Noon–6 pm; $11 per person; (seniors & infants free). Celebrate children and cultures from around the world.

FRI, JUNE 5

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO

JUNIOR DIVISON: Grades K-3

Tuesdays, 3:15 – 3:45 pm; Free. Little ones 3 to 5 years old learn about simple gardening projects. Space limited first come, first served.

am; Free. Master storyteller Mary Ann Schmidt tells the tale of a shy earthworm and a lonely caterpillar. For ages 2 and older. Hosted by the Battery Park Conservancy.

FRIDAY NIGHTS: Battery Park River Terrace, 6 River Terrace (Irish Hunger Memorial0; (212) 267–9700;www.bpcparks.org/event/ friday-night-for-teens-2; 7–9 pm; Free. Teens come together and make new friends and play games. Hosted by the Battery Park Conservancy. GARDEN STORIES WITH HAMILTON FISH LIBRARY: Siempre Verde Garden, 181 Stanton St. and East Houston Street; (646) 400–2042; nycgovparks.org; 10:30 am – noon; Free. Join in for stories for toddlers through five year olds. STORIES FOR ALL AGES: Teardrop Park, Warren St. and River Terrace; (212) 267–9700; bpcparks. org/event/stories-for-all-ages-2; 11

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC SHOW: Battery Park City library; (212) 790-3499; nypl.org; 4 pm. Free. Magic show for kids 3+ featuring a superhero and his puppet rabbit sidekick.

MY CITY PARK DAY: Hamilton Fish Park, E. Houston and Sheriff St.; nycchildrenstheater.org; 1 pm; Free. Children learn the importance of community spaces - sing along puppet musical tells the story of Milo who finds out his favorite park is closing, so he asks his friends to help him save his park. Suitable for children 3 to 7 years old.

SUN, JUNE 14 FAMILY CONCERT: Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, Battery Park City; ww6w.bpcparks.org/event/family-art-tour-workshop-gimme-shelter; 1 pm; Free. Rock out with the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene performance by Socalled. Bring a blanket, and picnic lunch and enjoy the music and views of the harbor.

MON, JUNE 15 FRI, JUNE 12 FATHER’S DAY: Children’s Museum of the Arts, 103 Charlton St. at “101 DALMATIANS”: Museum of Learn, Make New Friends! Hudson Street; (212) 274–0986; Chinese in America, Mulberry St. and Play, Classes - Indoor Playspace cmany.org; Noon–5 pm; $11 per perWorth Street; (212) 406–0243; Salon - Birthday Parties - Boutique son; (seniors & infants free). nycgovparks.org; 8 pm – 10 pm; Free. Celebrate dear old dad with fun projPresented by the Museum of Chinese Make New ects. Dads are free onFriends! June 21. in America, the Disney classic tells Play, Learn, Classes - Indoor Playspace

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Student entrepreneurs Wavertree Continued from page 22

the fundamentals of running their own business and will give them the opportunity to work together to create and sell their products. The second camp, located at 64 W. 3rd St. near New York University, offers a more hands-on approach for ages 11-14. “More than anything, it’s an opportunity to learn about who you are and what

you can accomplish,” Ruparel said. Dixit and Ruparel agree that the main objective of mini-Preneur is to inspire our youth, who will later become our future. “The U.S. has taken a backseat to the rest of the world in innovation…if we can plant these seeds now for kids, who knows what they can come up with,” Dixit said. “Whether it’s the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk that comes out of this, it’s part of our mission.”

Photo courtesy of Mini-preneur

I.S. 276 sixth-graders working together to create their business.

Continued from page 13

and New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer for fighting to get the money to restore the ship. Van Bramer, from Queens, said, “We will never walk away from the South Street Seaport Museum.” Built in 1885 in Southampton, England, Wavertree is a full-rigged sailing cargo ship. She circled the earth four times and called on New York in 1896. In 1910, she was caught in a Cape Horn gale that tore off a mast and ended her shipping career. She was salvaged and used as a floating warehouse, then a sand barge in South America. In 1968 she was secured by the Seaport Museum as the iconic centerpiece of the Seaport’s “Street of Ships.” The museum’s distinctive Peking, which never worked in New York, is expected to stay Downtown at least during the Wavertree’s absence, but the museum is looking to find her a new home for cost reasons. Steven Kalil, president of Caddell Dry Dock, spoke to Downtown

Express about the Wavertree. “This project is a challenge but it’s great to have her safe in Staten Island,” he said. “Our first order of business is to demo the ballast. She has a lot of cobblestone and concrete in her to get out.” Replacing 20 massive steel plates below the waterline, new ballast system, modern electrical, lighting and infrastructure and state-of-the art cathode protection will coat the hull to prevent corrosion are included in the stabilization work. Her main deck will be restored and her ‘tweendeck (that between the cargo holds and main deck) will be reinstalled. This will give the ship a large indoor area for year-round educational programs and preservation work. She will be re-rigged back at South Street when she returns. “Watching Wavertree leave port today felt like seeing our big iron baby — that’s what we used to call her — leave home,” said Norma Stanford, who came with her museum co-founder and husband, Peter Stanford.

BREAKTHROUGH CATARACT TREATMENT New therapy eliminates need for expensive eye drops, saving hundreds of dollars per case while improving comfort and safety for elderly patients Dr. Edward Rubinchik, one of the most highly experienced ocular surgeons in New York, is now offering patients a cataract surgery option that eliminates or minimizes the need for expensive post-operative eye drops, which are often required for 3-4 weeks after the procedure. “Drops are effective at reducing the risk of inflammation and infection,” said Dr. Rubinchik, a partner at Reich Medical and Surgical Eye Care, LLC and the first physician in New York to offer the dropless therapy. “However, at least 50% of patients end up missing a scheduled dose for one reason or another.” Studies show that many patients simply forget to use the drops properly and may have other medical conditions, such as arthritis, which

June 4-June 17, 2015

make it harder for them to take the drops. The number of patients who skip eyedrop doses increases with patient age, as does the need for cataract surgery itself. “We don’t have to worry about any of this with the dropless technique,” said Dr. Rubinchik, who practices in Midwood and Bensonhurst. “Our patients are much happier going ‘dropless’, and the medical system is saving hundreds of dollars per case. It’s a win-win for everybody.” Dr. Rubinchik added that many cataract patients have longstanding vision problems such as myopia or astigmatism and may be eligible for a multifocal lens implant during the same procedure, resulting in much better vision than the patient has experienced in years.

Formerly Nelly Bly Amusement Park

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Board Certified Ophthalmologists Dr. Edward Rubinchik and Dr. Raymond Reich are founders of Reich Medical and Surgical Eye Care, LLC, a comprehensive eye care practice specializing in advanced intraocular surgery, laser vision correction, treatment of cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, plastic and reconstructive surgery and other advanced

Edward Rubinchik, MD, is the first and only ocular surgeon in Brooklyn offering the “dropless” cataract procedure. procedures. For more information or to schedule a comprehensive eye exam, call (718) 514-7160 or visit www.c2020now.com/ cataract. Just a train ride away from downtown Manhattan.

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CNG WEDDING GUIDE PRESENTS

The Great Bridal Sweepstakes One lucky bride will receive over $3,000 in prizes

$900 Hair, Makeup and Color package from

PILO ARTS SALON

including a free hair and make-up tryout You will receive a free hair and make-up tryout with one of our top bridal hairstylist and makeup artists. Services include updo or down-do, and full makeup application with airbrush and lashes. In between your trial day and your Big Day, receive haircut and full color services, including single process and highlights. Finally, on your Wedding Day, sit back and relax while we bring it all together and deliver a customized hair and make-up look.

15.PR.3929_1.qxp_Layout 1 4/21/15 11:40 AM Page 1

$1,000 in Flowers from

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An authentic Spanish and Mexican restaurant located in New York’s West Village. Since 1970, Tio Pepe has been serving up Spanish cuisine at its finest. Their recently revised menu showcases the simple, traditional food flavors of Spanish culture.

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Delicate sequin embellished embroidery on tulle drape the bodice in this form fitting fit and flare gown. Finished with a sweetheart neckline and corset back closure. Available in blush or ivory.

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Wedding dress substitutions available at same values. See below for details.

This stunning headpiece from

Stunning bridal headpiece custom designed by Bridal Styles Boutique, encrusted with Swarovski crystal and delicate seed pearls.

Our Executive Chef Jose Zamora is a native of Tarragona, Spain. Beginning his career at a family friend’s restaurant, he received two culinary degrees, one from Cordon Blue in the U.S. and one from the Institution Culinario de Cambrils in Spain. His cooking is inspired by both Spanish and French cuisine. Jose is devoted to using the best ingredients and implementing a simplistic stylist technique with dynamic presentation. His goal is to provide a memorable dining experience through passionately created culinary dishes.

We can custom make your floral or silk arrangement.

Headpiece substitutions available at same values. See below for details.

To enter go to www.cnglocal.com/weddingcontest Receive a free floral package for your Wedding with a maximum value of $1,000. Choose any Wedding Dress that is available with a maximum value of $800 and any headpiece available with a maximum value of $500 (If more expensive items are purchased you will receive a credit toward your purchase) Drawing will take place June 30, 2015. Contest only for couples getting married before 12/31/2016. No cash value. For a complete list of contest rules go to www.cnglocal.com/weddingcontest/rules.

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