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 Two of the New York International Fringe Festival shows playing in our neighborhood this weekend are:
Egg Farm, written by Bill Heck and Nick Mills and directed by Wes Grantom: "Two
actors: many people. Think Sweeney Todd meets Brecht meets YOU, set in
a dark, funny, and bloody future. Come secure the success of humanity
for only a small, one-time fee: YOUR LIFE".
Saturday, 7:45pm at CSV Cultural and Educational Center – Milagro at 107 Suffolk Street (Rivington & Delancey Streets)
Willy Nilly, A Musical Exploitation of the Most Far-Out Cult Murders of the Psychedelic Era. The troupe describes it as
"Charles Manson meets Mad Magazine in this tasteless spoof about a
filthy faux-Messiah, his cult of wanton women, and high Hollywood
murder. With a raucous score, gratuitous nudity, acid freakouts,
excessive gore, cruel stereotypes and slapstick misogyny, consider this
the anti-Hair." Sunday, 8:30 pm at Dixon Place (161 Chrystie)
For some non-Fringe related theater, head over to The Living Theatre tonight to check out Where Aliens Roam, a variety show that features avant garde performance art by musicians, dancers, performance artists and
actors. For more info and tickets visit Roaming Aliens Productions here.
For some family fun on Suday, you can take part in The Eldgridge Museum's ongoing series Preservation Detectives. Discover the story of the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue on a
fun-filled program combining architecture, history and Jewish culture. The program includes conversations and art activities inspired by participants' discoveries.
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 1:00 pm. Recommended for ages 5-10. $15 per family.
 
Now that the legal maneuvers have (almost) played out, the CD1 candidates can focus on Monday night's Downtown Express Forum. All five candidates – City Council member Alan Gerson, Margaret Chin, Pete Gleason, Arthur Gregory and PJ Kim – will be participating. The forum will take place at Pace University, 7pm.
The Times analyzes the impact of DC37's endorsement of Bill Thompson over Mike Bloomberg. The municipal workers snubbed Bloomie based on his "imperfect feel for the city’s working class and his imperious move
to rip up the city’s term-limits laws in order to run for another term.."
Renovations appear to be underway at 92 orchard, the Mark Miller Gallery/Old New York Cigar Company. The Tenement Museum's blog makes note of the storefront's past as a butcher shop.
It's Katz's vs. Russ & Daughters in the Village Voice's battle of the egg creams.
 We now have a response from Pete Gleason's campaign regarding yesterday's court ruling, putting City Council member Alan Gerson back on the ballot. We have updated our story on the hearing with comments from Gleason's attorney, Ray Dowd. Gleason filed a lawsuit, accusing Gerson of candidate fraud. He'll now file an appeal, in hopes of knocking Gerson off the ballot again. Outside the courtroom, the Gerson campaign released a statement, saying:
Pete Gleason "failed in his attempt to abuse the judicial system in a
cynical effort to deny the voters their fundamental democratic right.
It calls Gleason "ethically unfit to represent the area in the City
Council." The statement continues,"His campaign offers very little in
what he will do to improve the lives of people in Lower Manhattan, and
seems concentrated almost entirely on distorting my record and personal
insults, that to this point, he has failed to disavow."
Here's the response from Paul Newell, Gleason campaign spokesman:
It's great that Alan Gerson thinks that challenging other candidates' petitions is ethically unsound because he himself did so six years ago. We're glad that we finally brought him around to the fact that people should have access to the ballot. But that being said, when a candidate engages in alteration of legal documents after they have been circulated, when a candidate engages in using the resources of non-profits for political purposes, and these are all questions that Alan Gerson has yet to respond to, respond to why and how and the nature of his relationship to non-profits who encourage their employees to campaign on his behalf, and these questions will be taken up by the court… As you can see here today, Pete is out here in front of the Pitt Station Post Office campaigning on that issue. Pete has been campaigning on good public school access for all of our kids, and the real planning and forethought that we need for a growing community, which Alan Gerson has failed on for 8 years. For 8 years Alan Gerson has sat by and watched as a clear demographic trend required new services for our community, and sat on his hands and did nothing. We need change and we need change that works. I'm glad that Alan feels strongly that he should be on the ballot. The 80-percent of New Yorkers, in two separate referenda felt he should not be on the ballot this year, and that no two term incumbent should be on the ballot. So he's already changed the rules once by extending his own term limits. Now he's trying to change the rules regarding cover sheets and alteration of document.
A bit of context: Six years ago, Gerson tried to force Gleason off the ballot. Outside court yesterday, Gerson called that "ancient history" and he said the circumstances were very different. Back then, Gerson argued, the issue was whether Gleason had enough valid signatures. He said that's very different from the case Gleason is trying to make now. As for the accusations that United Jewish Council employees improperly collected signatures for Gerson, the Council member's attorney said yesterday there's no evidence to support the claims.
One final note: Newell referred to the fact that Gleason was outside the Pitt Station Post Office on Clinton Street today, collecting signatures to keep the facility open. He set up right next to a table Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has had in front of the post office all week. Silver and Rep. Carolyn Maloney have gathered over 1300 signatures in preparation for a campaign to prevent the possible closure. But it's very clear there is absolutely no coordination between the Silver and Gleason efforts. In fact, Silver is supporting Gerson. And from the "oh, what a tangled web file," Newell's the same guy who unsuccessfully ran against Silver last year. He is now running for district leader against former Gerson aide Avi Turkel.
photos courtesy of Grand St. Settlement
Five hundred community youth and their families will turn out for Grand Street Settlement's 3rd Annual Lower East Side Youth Day at P.S.142 on the corner of Delancey and Attorney Streets. The Youth Day, which goes from 11AM – 4 PM on Friday, August 14th, will feature:
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Performances starting at 2:00PM
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A live D.J.
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Artwork displayed
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Free BBQ lunch to all participants and guests
- Information booths from: HEAT (Health & Education Alternatives for Teens), Project KISS, MetroPlus and FreeArts NYC
Other Lower East Side
community centers and Settlement houses will be in attendance,
including summer day campers from P.S. 15, University Settlement and
the Educational Alliance.
photos courtesy of Grand St. Settlement
Youth Day is about bringing together young people from all over the Lower East Side
to showcase their talents, network with their peers, and to distribute
valuable resources and information on health, education and Grand
Street Settlement's youth programs. The Day is primarily organized by
Grand Street Settlement's own young people. Tweens and Teen facilitate
much of the fundraising by holding bake sales and going door-to-door to
businesses in the neighborhood asking for cash or in-kind donations.
More news in the First District City Council campaign this afternoon. City Council member Alan Gerson has won the endorsements of two unions: the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. In a statement, the PBA commended Gerson's "proven track record and commitment to law enforcement." In a separate statement on the Fire Officer's Association endorsement, the campaign said Gerson had "vigorously fought to keep our firehouses open under a climate of budget cuts."
The New York Metro Area Postal Union announced it is endorsing Pete Gleason in the First District City Council race. Gleason is one of four candidates trying to knock off two-term City Council member Alan Gerson in next month's Primary.
In a statement, Union President Clarice Torrence said, "We have endorsed Pete Gleason because we are working people, union people, who live and work in New York City . Pete has been one of us and understands our plight. He also understands the impact of post office closings on a community. We look to Pete Gleason to be a voice for all working people on the city council in this time of crisis.”
Gleason, now an attorney, served a New York City police officer and firefighter. In the statement, he said, "Post Offices are a focal point of our communities. The Pitt Street post office on the Lower East Side and the Battery Park City Retail Post Office on Rector Street are essential parts of our neighborhoods. We cannot afford to lose them.”
See our coverage of the fight to save the Pitt Station Post Office here and here.
The Drilling Company heads in to it's final weekend of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot tonight at 8pm in the Municipal Parking Lot (at Ludlow and Broome). You can see Measure For Measure, directed by Hamilton Clancey, for FREE. The company suggests "Bring a chair or come early to grab one of your own. Parking available. Meters ineffect!"
 NY Studio Gallery continues it's 4th Annual International ARTcamp: Studio Residency Program.
For two months the gallery is transformed into studio space for
six national and international artists. The work ranges from
installation and performance to video, drawing and sculpture with a
tendency toward the figural, physical and interactive. Gallery hours (Thursday – Saturday noon – 6pm and by appointment) continue to be in effect during ARTcamp, allowing
visitors to see work in progress, and to meet and learn about the
artists’ work and process first hand.
 NYTimes' Steven McElroy has some tips for all of us preparing to delve in to this year's New York International Fringe Festival, which runs through August 30th at numerous theaters throughout the city. He writes:
The program guide listing participating shows in the 13th annual New York International Fringe Festival,
which starts Friday, runs more than 60 pages. So to choose from about
200 productions you must look at some specifics: Are your friends
involved? Is the director a hotshot? The company noteworthy? Any actors
of special interest? The premise too odd to pass up? This last
criterion can sometimes lead to buyer’s remorse, but the tickets are
cheap and choosing Fringe shows should always involve some
impulsiveness.
DC 37, the city's largest municipal union, is endorsing Bill Thompson for mayor.
EV Grieve details last night's meeting on noisy bars in the East Village.
Progress report: Bowery Boogie checks in on 38 Delancey.
190 Bowery: the story behind the building and its graffiti.
Casanis, at Ludlow & Broome, is now Le Cubain, a Cuban and French fusion spot.
 A State Supreme Court judge ordered the Board of Elections to put City Council member Alan Gerson back on the ballot this afternoon – and he dismissed a ballot challenge filed against candidate PJ Kim. Perhaps the biggest loser of the day was the Election Board itself, ridiculed by the judge for clinging to archaic and rigid rules. The legal challenges had left the First District Council race in limbo for weeks, as the campaigns became preoccupied with legal strategy.
Today in court, attorneys for the Elections Board said Gerson was disqualified because he twice revised the cover sheet attached to his petitions. The Board only allows candidates one chance to correct mistakes. Judge Edward Lehner seemed surprised that a candidate would be thrown off the ballot for what he called an "administrative error."
Gerson has not only been battling the Elections Board, but also one of his opponents, Pete Gleason. Ray Dowd, Gleason's attorney, argued that Gerson should have been kept off the ballot because fraud occurred "at the highest levels of the Gerson campaign." He pointed to the testimony of Renee Abramowitz, a signature collector who said petitions were altered and her initials were forged. But the judge ruled that that discrepancy could not be traced to Gerson himself and that Dowd failed to prove the allegations of fraud.
Well aware that the Gleason campaign would appeal his decision, Judge Lehner probed the attorneys for the better part of an hour. Dowd, telegraphing a strategy he'll use in appeals court, complained that he wasn't allowed to cross examine Gerson. The judge conceded that a special referee should have permitted Gleason to ask "leading questions" when he was dissatisfied with Gerson's answers. But Lehner said this did not prevent Dowd from making his case.
In a statement this morning, Dowd told The Lo-Down, "I was permitted zero
cross-examination of Alan Gerson on questions regarding the UJC fraud (United Jewish Council's role in collecting signatures – see background here).
None, zip. The case law is clear that I am permitted to treat an
adversary as a hostile witness… If you
cannot ask the questions you want answered, you can't get at the truth.
Thus, I was only
able to elicit what Gerson volunteered. There was no legal basis
for denying us this basic right."
Outside the courtroom, Gerson said he was gratified by the decision. The worst part of the ordeal, he said, was the fact that volunteer signature collectors, some of them "in tears," were hauled into court and are hesitant to take part in the process again. Asked about allegations that the United Jewish Council directed its employees to gather petitions on Gerson's behalf, attorney Lawrence Mandelker said there "is no basis to believe that is true."
In a written statement, the Gerson campaign said Gleason "failed in his attempt to abuse the judicial system in a cynical effort to deny the voters their fundamental democratic right. It calls Gleason "ethically unfit to represent the area in the City Council." The statement continues,"His campaign offers very little in what he will do to improve the lives of people in Lower Manhattan, and seems concentrated almost entirely on distorting my record and personal insults, that to this point, he has failed to disavow."
We have reached out to the Gleason camp for a response. We'll let you know what they have to say.Before the ruling, the campaign sent out a press release, "10 Questions For Alan Gerson."
In the other lawsuit looming over the District 1 race, the judge ruled there was no proof to support candidate Margaret Chin's fraud allegations against rival PJ Kim. However, he declined to impose sanctions against Chin, something the special referee who made recommendations in the case said he should consider. Afterwards, Kim said the suit was filed only to "harass us." Kim said he reached out to all of the campaigns early on in hopes the candidates would agree not to sue one another. He said no one called him back. Kim said he was pushing for sanctions against Chin as a deterrent to future candidates who decide to pursue "frivolous" legal challenges against their competitors.
In a statement, Chin's campaign said she was disappointed but would not appeal. "With less than five weeks until the Primary, the statement reads, "she believes that the important issues facing the City and the District should be front and center on the agenda."
 Don't miss tomorrow night's Tenement Talk, at the Tenement Museum, at 6:30p, with Michael Rosen. He recently wrote a book called What Else But Home: Seven Boys and an American Journey Between the Projects and the Penthouse. It's about five boys he met with his son while playing baseball in Tompkins Sqare Park. "Over time, five of the boys—all
black and Hispanic, from the impoverished neighborhood across the
park—became a fixture in the Rosens’ home and eventually started
referring to Michael and his wife Leslie as their parents. The boys
began to see the Rosens as more than just an arcade of middle-class
creature comforts; the Rosens began to learn the full stories of the
boys’ fractured lives."
Find out more about Michael and watch his video, "Why I Wrote What Else But Home" on his blog.
Photo: Courtesy of Speaker Silver's office
This week State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stopped by to check up on a petition drive to save the Pitt Station Post Office on Clinton Street (between East Broadway and Grand). We reported on the possible closure of the retail post office last week. Zach Bommer, from Silver's office, tells us they've gathered about 1300 signatures so far. Silver and Rep. Carolyn Maloney will be sending a joint letter to the Post Master General, in support of taking the Pitt Station off the closure list.
Bommer says the Manhattan Borough Post Office is collecting usage data on the locations that are on the chopping block. That information will be sent by the end of September to Washington, where the decision untimately will be made. Bommer says anyone who wants a petition can call Silver's office at 212-312-1420 or they can send an email:
Silver@assembly.state.ny.us. They'll also have representatives outside the Pitt Station office tomorrow from 11-4.
As we reported yesterday, City Councilman Alan Gerson expects (hopes?) a State Supreme Court judge will tell the Elections Board to put him back on the ballot today. The judge will also rule on candidate Margaret Chin's lawsuit against rival PJ Kim. Watch our Twitter feed for details from court.
EV Grieve reports on the continuing saga of P.S. 64/El Bohio Community Center. The building, which activists fought to preserve for the community, has now been rebranded "University House at Tompkins Square Park."
A report from the Pratt Center for Community Development shows retail rents increased 54-percent between 2001-2008 in NYC. The study urges the Bloomberg administration to do more to help struggling merchants. Specifically, it recommends: zoning laws preventing the
expansion of chain stores, financial incentives for landlords who bring
in local retailers and grants for local business
owners.
From the New York Post police blotter: "A pack of violent muggers smashed a man in the head with bottles on the Lower East Side, police sources said yesterday. The assailants exchanged words with the 41-year-old victim at the Bowery and Prince Street at 10:50 p.m. Saturday, cops said. One of them snatched an iPod from the victim, sparking a brawl. The suspects nailed the victim with bottles, and he needed 10 stitches to close a head gash."
This week I found the new tile floor is almost complete at the Essex Street Market, and they are preparing to re-open the seating area at the North end.
Speaking of the North end of the market, I noticed the Tra La La Juice Bar is now making cupcakes, along with their famous muffins. I had a blackberry (in season!) cupcake for a mere $1.25, and noted that Ron (co-owner of Tra La La and Rainbo's Fish) has also included some "animal free" cupcakes. This week, he is offering animal free apple orange cupcakes and animal free mocha cupcakes for $1.50 each. Ron did a lot of experimenting until he got them to taste right. He uses a combination of olive oil and vinegar instead of butter, milk, or eggs. He was also offering a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting for $1.25 that looked delicious.
I noticed that it does pay to compare prices at the fruit and vegetable (grocery) stands because they do vary. Today mangos were selling for $1 each at Viva Fruits & Vegetables and $1.79 each at Essex Farm Groceries. But Viva was selling Rice Dream (in their new organic section) for $4.19 while Essex Farm sells it for $3.99.
Ronnie Sue of Ronnie Sue's Chocolates is now making cookies. I tried a chocolate chocolate chip cookie that was moist and delicious. They come in a $2.00 bag with six cookies. Another great deal.
After the cookies, I ventured over to Formaggio Essex, a specialty store that has been based in Cambridge, Mass for over 30 years (they've been at the Essex Market for about three years). They specialize in exclusive imports, from artisan cheese to olive oil to jelly. You can always find a unique import to sample. Ayse (the Cambridge store owners' daughter) offered me some palacio chorizo from Spain ($6.95 whole or $3.50 for a half) and some Basil Olive Oil from Chile ($11.95 per bottle). I also noticed some lovely preserves, "Configures de Raphael" from Brittany, France. The organic fruit Raphael uses is from his farm in Brittany and is boiled in a copper cauldron over an open fire.
For more cheese I visited Ann Saxelby at Saxelby Cheesemongers. She had me try a delicious Brebis Blanche, a fresh, cultured sheep's milk cheese, made by 3-Corner Field Farm in Shushan, New York. ($8.50 for 4oz or $4.25 for a half round). It was light with a citrus flavor, and seemed perfect for a salad or with a little honey, as a snack.
Also, in case you are wondering, you can get a $10 haircut from Aminova (men only!) at Aminova's Barber Shop while you are doing your shopping.
 Last week we reported about a dust-up between the two Asian candidates running in the First District City Council race. Margaret Chin's campaign accused rival PJ Kim of using "racially charged language," when he asserted that Chin was running to become the "Mayor of Chinatown." A couple of Lo-Down readers took note of those stories – and were displeased that we had not also reported another story with racial overtones, involving Chin's campaign manager.
Fair point. Last week's episode (both Kim's remarks and Chin's response) have opened the door to a discussion about race in the District 1 campaign. So, here's the story. Last month, Chin's campaign manager, Jake Itzkowitz, wrote on his personal Twitter account:
“@CityHallNews Politicians should be able to use the 'N' word in
attacking ignorance & racism. Aren't we a mature enough culture for
that?”
The tweet was apparently a response to a City Hall News interview with Carolyn Maloney:
There is Carolyn Maloney, ripping into Kirsten Gillibrand broad and
hard for voting against the two stimulus bills and for changing her
positions on several core Democratic issues, sounding out her case on
the fly as, “It’s the NRA, it’s immigration, it’s all these other
things. In fact, I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said
[Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only
[education]. And he said, ‘It was like saying n—r to a Puerto Rican,’”
she said, using the full racial slur. “I don’t know—I don’t know if
that’s true or not. I just called. I’m just throwing that out. All of
her—well, what does she stand for?”
Maloney later apologized for using the word. Itzkowitz sent a written statement to a political blogger:
I'm not saying it should be used w/o thought, but I think in the context of chastising ignorant statements/ppl, it is valid. When I worked for the Obama campaign, some volunteers believed it was appropriate
& valid to use the N-word in a sentence criticizing those who
opposed his campaign on racial grounds. I obviously don't have the racial background to speak from experience on the N-word in particular, but as a member of a minority w/ it's own derogatory terminology, I do think there is a place for the use of language in deconstructing stereotypes. I would love to hear your opinion.
There you have it. Ultimately voters in the First District can decide whether either "race issue" is relevant to their decision- which candidate is best suited to represent their interests on the New York City Council.
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