Gawker unleashes a not unwarranted snark attack on this morning's New York Post story on rising assault cases throughout Downtown Manhattan. On the Lower East Side for instance there have been 10 more assaults so far this year than there were at this time in 2008 — not exactly the "Violent Crime Wave" the Post proclaims.
         
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According to the New York Post, the NYPD is dealing with a big increase in assaults downtown, the "city's party mecca." In the Lower East Side, there have been 43 assaults so far in 2009, up 30-percent from 2008. But the The Village (both East and West) topped the LES in violent crimes. The NYPD blames the big late night bar crowds downtown but the article does not explain what might have caused the increases this year. District 1 City Councilman Alan Gerson barely squeaked out a victory last night in an endorsement meeting of the Village Reform Democratic Club. Gerson was expected to have an easier time – he used to be the president of the club. Gerson's weak attendance record and vote against term limits may have hurt his standing with the VRDC. Challenger Pete Gleason came in second. Rent Board head Marvin Markus lays out his proposal for "a rent increase exemption," that would allow people who can't afford rent increases to apply for relief. Saxelby Cheesmongers in the Essex Market trumpets the arrival of handmade corn tortillas from Hot Bread Kitchen. They're made from pure ground corn. Hot Bread Kitchen provides job training and English classes to women who have immigrated from Mexico, Bangladesh, the Phillipines,  
Read more about their antics on their blog. And in the New York Times today Francis Clines seems to be trying to foment a popular uprising against the Hollywood invasion of New York City. Action!
The Tenement Museum has released the schedule for "Twilight Thursdays," its special series of tours and talks, paired with discounts at restaurants and shops in the neighborhood. The series begins May 28th and goes through September. Here's the list of guest speakers: May 28: Levittown with David Kushner. Fighting for Civil Rights in America’s legendary suburb. June 4: Dara Horn on her new novel, All Other Nights, an espionage thriller set during the Civil War. June 11: Across Generations: Immigrant Families in America with Nancy Foner. June 18: Land of Lost Souls with Cadillac Man and Esquire editor Will Blythe. One man’s life on the street. June 25: Lower East Side Stories: Tourists in New York. Featuring four professional storytellers. July 9: Jeffrey the Butcher on his trade, his family’s LES history, and life in the Essex Street Market. August 13: What Else But Home with Michael Rosen. More info on the Tenement Museum's web site.
The food blogs are having a wonderful time poking fun at the squabbling over the fate of the old "Isabella's Oven" location at 365 Grand Street. Neighborhood message boards lit up after last week's controversial meeting of Community Board 3's liquor licensing committee. Jesse Hartman's proposal for an Italian restaurant in the shadow of the Seward Park Co-op with a full bar and an enclosed backyard was opposed by three residents toting petitions with over a hundred signatures. Over the weekend there were rumors that the Seward Park Housing Corp., the landlord, had decided to go with another applicant, an Asian fusion restaurant. But this morning Seward Park General Manager Frank Durant told us "there is no signed lease in place with anyone." Some residents expressed concerns about the full bar Hartman wants to operate and the closing time (4am). But most of the comments at the meeting and on the message boards express worries over late night noise wafting from the garden up to the apartments above. Durant said, "We will make sure that our At the community board meeting, Hartman agreed to withdraw his proposal in order to reach an agreement with opponents of "Grand Park." He's been having discussions since then with both supporters and opponents of the restaurant. Today he met with an architect who has agreed to draw up sketches for a sound proofed backyard enclosure.
We caught up with Principal Scott Conti and Dean Jesse Pais at New Design High School's Rooftop Legends show over the weekend. They told us why they love the Lower East Side. We'll be posting a piece about their school and the Rooftop Legends show soon. Posted by Traven Rice
We attended the monthly Community Council Meeting at the 7th Precinct on Wednesday evening and learned that a new Commanding Officer, Captain Nancy Barry, will be replacing Deputy Items of note included:
Posted by Traven Rice
There is no shortage of entertainment to be had this weekend: Along with tonight's Rooftop Films Opening Night Party, which we featured here yesterday, the New York Times highlights two LES art shows: Carrie Moyer's paintings at the "Canada" Gallery on Chrystie Street and Matt Sheridan Smith's multi-media show at the Lisa Cooley Gallery on Orchard. Tonight at the New Museum, a panel considers the legacy of the 1990's. "The 90's vs. the 90's," defining a decade, 7pm. More info here. If you're looking for a fun and unique evening of readings and drinking, check out the NYC Lit Crawl tomorrow night. There will be readings at various bars in the East Village and around the L.E.S. WNYC's web site has great things to stay about "The Stone," on Avenue C and 2nd Street. They call the "unassuming room" on the LES founded by John Zorn "the best place to see new and exciting music." The Museum at Eldridge Street offers the "Sacred Sites Bike Tour" on Sunday. “HomeBase IV”, a fascinating site-specific installation built around a dozen
NYFD investigators are back on the scene of that four alarm fire that broke out in a Chinatown grocery store last night. They're trying to figure out what caused the fire that took five hours to control. Seven firefighters suffered minor injuries. See the video via ArtRavels. The New York Post says a 14 year old was arrested earlier this week for the April 22 beating and robbery of a man near Essex and Delancey. It happened about 5pm. The suspect, and two accomplices, pummeled the victim and stole his phone. The victim's jaw had to be wired shut. All three suspects were arrested. About 185,000 New Yorkers pedaled to work in 2008, up 18,000 from 2007. In the past three years NYC has added 620 miles of bike lanes.
NYFD investigators are back on the scene of that four alarm fire that broke out in a Chinatown grocery store last night. They're trying to figure out what caused the fire that took five hours to control. Seven firefighters suffered minor injuries. See the video via ArtRavels. The New York Post says a 14 year old was arrested earlier this week for the April 22 beating and robbery of a man near Essex and Delancey. It happened about 5pm. The suspect, and two accomplices, pummeled the victim and stole his phone. The victim's jaw had to be wired shut. All three suspects were arrested. About 185,000 New Yorkers pedaled to work in 2008, up 18,000 from 2007. In the past three years NYC has added 620 miles of bike lanes.
Photo credits: Sarah Palmer Rooftop Films will be celebrating their opening night tomorrow with an evening of live music and short films down here on the rooftop at the New Design High School on Grand St. Don't miss the Open Bar After Party at Fontana's on Eldridge St. They will be doing 7 screenings down here along with 39 others at various locations around the city. Their 2009 Summer Series Schedule can be found here. We recently spoke with Founder/Artistic Director Mark Elijah Rosenberg and Program Director Dan Nuxoll about their burgeoning non-profit organization and how far their grassroots film festival has come.
Posted By Traven Rice
We told you last week that a couple of dozen buses that the city wanted to park in Tribeca until the community rebelled, were headed for the East River, under the FDR. That was going to delay the next phase of the East River Park construction project. Now, according to the Downtown Express, the city has worked out a deal to move those buses to Chelsea. They are still trying to figure out what to do with dozens of buses that have been parked under the FDR for some time.
Members of Community Board 3 lent their support last night to a campaign by parents of P.S. 110 for stop signs outside the school. The parents appeared before CB3's transportation committee, telling members about safety concerns along Delancey near Lewis Street. They said cars speed through the intersection, not realizing that small children are crossing. The committee passed a resolution called on the Department of Transportation to conduct a "stop sign traffic study." A DOT representative at the meeting said the study would take about six weeks to complete. Committee member Morris Faitelewicz wanted to add language to the resolution calling on teachers to stop parking their cars on the sidewalks. Faitelewicz, a board member of the nearby Hillman Housing Co-op, said the cars pose a danger to seniors, who are forced to walk in the streets. Committee Chairman David Crane said it would be inappropriate to "hold hostage" the request for stop signs. Crane said the issue of the parked cars would be dealt with separately.
A recent court ruling could make it more difficult for community groups to oppose bars and restaurants seeking liquor licenses. State Senator Daniel Squadron is drafting legislation that would clarify the intent of the so-called "500 foot rule," which limits the number of liquor licenses that can be issued by the state. Downtown Express has more.
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