Hell breaks loose at second Washington Square Park meeting
BY DEAN MOSES
The battle for Washington Square
Park continues as the war between
parkgoers, residents, and all of
those in between enters another round of
discussions.
The Captain of the 6th Precinct and
board members were left red-faced Saturday
night after angry Washington Square
Park goers rebuked police presence and
enforcement of the 10 p.m. curfew and
removal of sound amplifi cations.
June’s controversial Build the Block
meeting was celebrated by restless residents
for outlining a plan to combat noise
pollution and condemned by park goers
and musicians for having been ostracized
from the Washington Square Park talks last
month. However, on July 21 every opinion
was voiced with resounding fervor.
The meeting, held at Middle School 297
on 75 Morton St., began with Captain Stephen
Spataro and board representatives of
the Manhattan Community Board 2 Parks
and Waterfront Committee and Human
Services Committee taking a victory lap on
behalf of the changes made at Washington
Square Park over the last month, including
proud claims that crime has decreased in
the area.
The meeting descended into a shouting match.
However, as soon as the panel opened
up for questions a barrage of criticisms
and accusations of racist enforcement was
hurled across the cafeteria.
“This is all about affluent, white
residents thinking that the park is their
backyard and siccing the cops on Black and
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Brown, poor artists,” one speaker named
Ash said.
“The brutality I have witnessed for
amplifi ed sound—I was arrested for this
and just three days my case was dismissed.
Want to know why? Because it is bull. It
has always been bull, why must we have
a permit for music when there has been
music forever? If you don’t like it go to the
suburbs,” David Ortiz said.
Another individual added that innocent
bystanders are being caught in this battle.
“On June 5, I was the fi rst person to be
brutally arrested. I was not there to protest,
fi ve men pulled me forward and threw me
face down on the ground and bloodied my
friend that was next to me. It was 10:05
on a Saturday night. My cellmate was on
a date, they had no idea what was going
on,” Gia Lisa Krahne said. “I just want you
to consider when you want this park safer,
how it is happening.”
Captain Spataro noted that offi cers gave
warnings to those in the park past curfew
and cited several offi cers who were attacked
with bottles as cause for violence
that night. However, with one furious rant
after another, sharing story after story from
those alleging both police brutality and racist
action the captain was left speechless.
“We don’t make the law, we just enforce
it,” he said.
Opposers also called out the NYPD for
intimidation tactics, citing dozens of offi
cers arriving at the park in riot care as a
militant show of force. Spataro responded
to a round of jeers by stating, “We don’t
have riot gear, what we have is a helmet.”
SoHo Broadway Initiative hosts roundtable discussion on recovery
BY DEAN MOSES
New York City has been paving
the road to recovery through
COVID-19 relief programs and
various promotional campaigns that
invite tourism and foot traffi c back into
communities. Some of the hardest hit by
the virus were independent entrepreneurs
who relied on the hustle and bustle of the
Big Apple.
Iconic city areas, such as SoHo were
devoid of life just over 17 months ago. Businesses
shuttered and boarded their display
windows with planks of plywood while
others tried their best to remain open for
takeout or curbside service. These locations
are now looking to not only fully reopen but
reinvigorate the SoHo community unlike
any other by bringing life back through
interactive shopping experiences.
On July 22, the SoHo Broadway Initiative
hosted its quarterly round table event
via Zoom with a panel to discuss recovery
efforts for the neighborhood, including
Andrew Kahn of Cushman & Wakefi eld,
Konstance Patton from the SoHo Renaissance
Factory, and Sara Schiller creator of
Sloomoo Institute. Moderated by SoHo
Broadway Initiative Executive Director
SoHo Broadway Initiative hosted its quarterly round table event via Zoom on
July 22.
Mark Dicus, he quizzed the panel regarding
the recovery steps going forward, the
challenges they face, and their plans for the
next few months on rebuilding efforts.
One of the chief discussions came from
SoHo business owner, Sara Schiller, who
has developed an exhibit that centers on
the child favorite DIY activity, slime.
Schiller relies on both tourists visiting her
SCREENSHOT
merchandise shop as well as purchasing
tickets to interact with her exhibit.
Since reopening Schiller has struggled
to hire employees due to worker safety
concerns in terms of crime in the area,
especially on public transportation. While
ticket sales have been on a steady rise for
the Sloomoo Institute since the indoor
mask mandate was lifted, she admitted to
using three recruiter agencies in order to
fi nd employees.
“We face two big challenges, I think. The
fi rst I would say is a perception of security,
so whether that is real or not I don’t know.
We need our staff to feel secure. We’ve had
staff assaulted at 9 o’clock in the morning
on their way to Dunkin’ Donuts or work.
We gotta be able to get our staff in securely
and they have to feel safe,” Schiller said,
adding, “We want our staff to feel safe and
because we are family-oriented we need our
guests to feel safe. Again, it’s perception
having clean streets makes people safer,
having storefronts that are full and not
empty.”
Prior to the pandemic, her company
boasted 400 part-time employees but are
now struggling just to fi ll a roaster of 100
to 200 workers. She believes all of this boils
down to the aforementioned safety fears.
Dicus agreed that perception makes a
vital difference when it comes to attracting
visitors to New York City, which is why
efforts have been made to keep Broadway
clean. He also added that crime statistics
show there have been some fl uctuations
within city; however, there is a perception
that New York City is currently unsafe,
especially with gun violence.
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