Saturday, April 21, 2007
Withdrawn at 7th and Avenue A...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Nature Morte
Struck dead with a cane by an angry drunk in Tompkins Square Park .
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Rally at 47 E. 3rd Street
While business proceeded as usual at the hair salon across the street from 47 East 3rd Street this last Saturday a protest rally of 300 to 400 people lined the barricades along both sides of the street to rally support for the tennants of the building against the building's owner Alistair Economakis and family in the tennants battle to stay in their apartments at 47 E. 3rd . Numerous tennant activists and elected officials including Council Person Rosie Mendez and Borough President Scott Stringer spoke to the cause before the attending largely pro-tennant crowd .
The only difficulties noticed during the rally was an altercation in the midst of the crowd between Tom Weiss and Mike Mckee of the New York State Tennants & Neighborhood Coalition which involved Weiss vociferously claiming that McKee had at some time in the past in some way caused Weiss to be evicted from his apartment . Weiss was persued by police on the scene and convinced to calm down , which he did . Weiss shortly left the rally .
The issues here are ones of the law pertaining to the ownership of residential property , tennants rights and the possibility of the continued existence of a middle class in New York City in the future : the Economakis family wants to evict the existing tennants of the building so that it can turn the building into a mansion-size home for itself .
The issues have been heard at the State Supreme Court level and at the State Appellate Court level with the court last deciding for the Economakis family . Any final legal descision in this case ,that may or may not be heard by the highest court of the State of New York , will necessarily have consequences that affect residential tennancy law , thus the extremely heated contest over the 47 E 3rd St.
For more on the issues from both sides go to :
Labels: Economakis protest
Love Letter Turned Sour
This post concerning a phone booth with its exposed wiring at avenue A and 7th St. , variously used , in addition to its communication function , as a beer stash , message board and pissoir which was shown previously here in a post titled " Love Letter" on 29 March of this year , not only displays how words expressing feelings of love can turn to bitter invective but that an incautious voiding of spent beer can indeed bring feeling of any kind to a "shocking " and final end .
Lucy's on avenue A - No. 3
Mosaic Man and Jesse Jane Go to School
Yes ,its back to school for the pair that have been the subject of so many posts here . Jim and Jesse will be at P.S. 40 this Saturday volunteering their services to help school children make 50 mosaics for a new garden .
P.S. 40 is located in Manhattan on 20th street between 1st and 2nd avenues .
Sunday, April 15, 2007
No More Tonic - Part 3 : The Eviction and Arrests
Music venue "Tonic " , located on Norfolk St. just above Delancy , in the shadow of "Blue " the bluish architectural monstrosity and testament to the arrogance and self-indulgence of its ambitious , academic architect and his utterly commercial client , was finally closed by NYPD with two individuals being arrested for trespassing on Saturday afternoon .
One of the last places left in downtown Manhattan for alternative ,experimental music performances , "Tonic ", had financial problems and was considerably in arrears on rental payments . Like so many other small performance spaces ,"Tonic " could not compete in the downtown rental market : "Tonic" could not pay the rents being paid by boutiques , restaurants and bars that are now crowding out old NY culture downtown .
Saturday afternoon and evening was to be a day of many last performances at "Tonic " : the police shortened that day showing up around 3:30 PM . The crowd that was inside the building was asked to leave and also told that anyone not leaving would be arrested . Rebecca Moore and Marc Ribot chose not to leave .
For a while there were negotiations between the police and others including the musicians union representatives . The police at the scene did not seem to be all that happy doing a landlords dirty-work and were very considerate even allowing the members of the press to remain inside the space as they were arresting Ms Moore and Mr. Ribot . The crowd that had been asked to leave was allowed to gather outside on the street where its members sang and played instruments while waiting for for Ms Moore's and Mr. Ribot's appearance on the street . The police escorted Ms. Moore and Mr. Ribot , in cuffs , to a police RMP which took them to the 7th precinct where they were charged with trespassing , held till around 9 PM and then released . As Ms. Moore and Mr. Ribot exited the building in cuffs ,the crowd cheered and sang and for some time after their removal from the scene , remained on the side walk and in the street in front of the location of the now closed "Tonic " .
For more comprehensive and up-to-date information on Tonic please go to :
www.takeittothebridge.com and also to enlarge these images just click on them .Of course also see the other two parts of this post .
No More Tonic -Part 2 : Some of Those Who Attended Tonic on Saturday
No More Tonic - Part 1 : Some of the Performers
More Weather ...
The Table is Turned : The Photographer Photographed at Tonic
Territorial Imperative
As with governments and big business ones territory must be claimed , protected and exploited to reap the material product or monetary gain that affords one survival .
Here Jewels is driving a competing pan-handler from the piece of avenue A that he claims for himself . The sidewalk foot traffic this last Saturday night would just not support two "spangers" so close together .
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