Activists bring Marsha P. Johnson sculpture to Greenwich Village
BY MATT TRACY
Queer and transgender activists took
to Christopher Park on Aug. 24 in
Manhattan to erect a bust of the
late LGBTQ icon Marsha P. Johnson.
The sculpture, which was installed on
the activist’s 76th birthday, was not approved
by government offi cials. In 2019,
First Lady Chirlane McCray and the city
turned to the She Built NYC program —
aimed at erecting statues of women in
history — toannounce plans to pay tribute
to Johnson and Sylvia Riverawith a monument
at Ruth Wittenberg Triangle at 421
Sixth Avenue at Christopher Street and
Greenwich Avenue. However, that initiative
and other plans for monuments were placed
on the backburner during the COVID era,
according to the city.
The activists behind the new sculpture
include Eli Erlick, a transgender advocate
and cofounder of Trans Students Educational
Resources, and sculptor Jesse Pallotta,
a sex worker who said he used $6,000
of his own funding to create the sculpture.
The activists accused the city of dragging
their feet to erect sculptures honoring
LGBTQ women across the city.
Activists add Marsha P. Johnson’s famous flower crown to the sculpture.
“We decided to build the sculpture
because we do not believe the city will
fulfi ll its promise to erect the statues of
the women it claims it will,” Erlick said in
a written statement to Gay City News. “If
they do, we’re certain it won’t be in a timely
manner.”
She added, “This goes much further
than COVID delays to fundamental
disorganization surrounding and apathy
toward remembering historical women.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GAY CITY NEWS
As trans people, we knew we had to take
matters into our own hands if we wanted
to remember such a profoundly impactful
fi gure like Marsha.”
It is not clear whether the sculpture —
which sits in the middle of the park — will
remain in place for the foreseeable future.
The National Parks Service could not immediately
be reached for comment on Aug. 27.
Activists said they reached out to the city to
discuss issuing a temporary permit.
In a statement, Mitch Schwartz, a
spokesperson for the mayor’s offi ce, said
the city is aware of the new sculpture but
has nothing to do with it.
“This isn’t a city statue, although the
city has pledged to build them,” Schwartz
said in a written statement. “The citycommissioned
statues are currently on
hold; COVID-19 has delayed monuments
and public art projects across the board,
as you’d probably imagine. We’re still committed
to seeing these through for both
Johnson and Rivera. But this one appears
to have been put up by some activists, and
I don’t really have any more details on it.
TS Candii, a Black transgender woman
and founder of Black Trans Nation, said
she believes more grassroots Black trans
activists should have been consulted or
involved in the project’s debut.
Activists who installed the sculpture
stressed they do so as individuals and not
as part of any organizations.
“Although we hope the statue will inspire
viewers to support groups like the Marsha
P Johnson Institute, we did not want to put
any organizations or individuals at risk by
partaking in a risky activity,” Erlick said
in a statement.
Eviction battle in Chinatown leads to charges of ‘smear campaign’
BY DEAN MOSES
A senior claims she has been unlawfully
evicted from her Chinatown
apartment amid the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic.
Lichang Wang was joined by neighbors
and community supporters outside of the
Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) on
Aug. 24, the landlord’s offi ce, at 111 Division
St., to call for a way back home.
According to Wang, who told her story
while clinging to a protest sign on Aug. 24,
she had resided on Norfolk Street for over a
decade. However, she said things changed
when her estranged husband moved out
from the premises.
Although her name was not on the lease,
the 62-year-old was informed that she
would be able to remain in her home with
the help of governmental assistance — but
Wang said the AAFE had other plans.
“The apartment was under my exhusband’s
name. He got public housing,
so he moved out,” Wang told amNewYork
Metro through the help of a translator, adding
that her ex-husband advised her to go
to a shelter for help.
“When I got there, a social worker told
me that I don’t have to move and they
helped me apply for government assistance,
like rental assistance,” Wang said, “I even
A press conference was held outside of the Asian Americans for Equality
(AAFE) on Aug. 24, at 111 Division St., to call for Wang to be allowed back into
her apartment.
called the police and the police told me that
I didn’t have to move.”
On July 12, Wang said that the AAFE’s
staff arrived at her apartment and attempted
to change her locks. She immediately
called the 911, who she says informed her
that while she is there, they cannot alter the
locks and she is permitted to remain in the
apartment. Police sources confi rmed that at
4:50 p.m., offi cers responded to a 911 call
at Wang’s address.
PHTOO BY DEAN MOSES
Despite NYPD intervention, Wang asserts
that she was lured away to discuss the
issue, at which time the locks were changed.
AAFE vehemently denied these claims,
sharing that Wang’s ex-husband signed a
document stating that no one else resided
within the apartment when he informed
them of his intentions of moving.
An AAFE representative also highlighted
that after tenants move, locks are
changed as a safety procedure.
“After he moved (in early July), the locks
on this apartment were changed, which is
standard practice. A short time later, Lichang
Wang, who was previously unknown
to us, came to our management offi ce
claiming to be a tenant in this unit.She was
not listed on any of the income certifi cation
documents fi led with the city or any
other documents. Ms. Wang indicated she
had been married to the former tenant of
record a decade ago or more, but they had
since divorced. According to the income
certifi cation forms and lease documents,
the former tenant lived in the apartment
with another woman. After confi rming
with the tenant of record that anything left
in the apartment should be discarded, our
staff offered to move items left in the unit
to a storage unit of Ms. Wang’s choosing.
We advised Ms. Wang that it would not
be possible to place her in the apartment
in the absence of any proof of tenancy,”
Asian Americans for Equality wrote in a
statement to amNewYork Metro.
Still, Wang remains without her belongings,
such as clothes and other personal
affects, and is currently residing within
a shelter. She even showed images on her
cellphone of her couch left in the street.
Despite the senior’s predicament, she
says she will continue to fi ght until she can
once again fi nd her way back home.
4 September 2, 2021 Schneps Media