Two protesters cuffed as East River Park project starts
BY DEAN MOSES
The East Side Coastal
Resiliency Project
construction has fi nally
begun at East River Park, but it
is off to a rough start thanks to
local climate activists.
On Nov. 1, the Department
of Design and Construction
(DDC) began its plan to implement
fl ood protection in the
area while also adding new
amenities. Beginning at the
Brian Watkins Tennis Center,
between the Delancey and
Houston entrances, the development
promises to keep almost
half of East River Park open to
the public at all times thanks
to the work taking place in
phases. According to the DDC,
this tackles an important concern
from local residents who
wish to maintain access to the
greenspace, especially during
times of COVID-19.
Over the course of the next
fi ve years, the project is expected
to create a 2.4-mile fl oodwall
beneath raised parkland in
order to safeguard against rising
sea levels while also incorporating
fresh amenities for locals
that will see the construction
run from Montgomery Street
to East 25th Street.
“We’ve worked hard to
ensure as much park access
as possible throughout the
pandemic and to prepare for
a partial closure of East River
Park during construction,”
said DDC Commissioner Jamie
Torres-Springer in a statement.
“We recognize very much the
importance of the Park to the
community, and we look forward
to delivering a revamped
park with improved access.”
The start of the work week
did not go smoothly for the
project, however. On Nov. 1,
just as fences were being erected
around the tennis court members
of local activist groups East
River Park Action and 1000
People for 1000 Trees staged
at sit-in, blocking workers from
getting the project underway.
Demonstrators shouted,
“Protest is not destruction,
Laura Berger (left) and Eileen Myles continue to protest
the work.
save this park,” as offi cers announced
that they are interfering
with construction approved
by the Parks Department, and
they must leave the vicinity
before arrests are made.
Citing the expected removal
of some 1000 trees and seeing
civil disobedience as a
last resort to bring attention
to their cause, approximately
25 protesters sang songs and
brandished signs while 15 demonstrators
sat at the entrance
blocking workers until NYPD
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
offi cers arrived, making two
arrests. Allie Ryan and Alice
O’Malley were cuffed for refusing
to move from the tennis
court entrances and were taken
to the 7th Precinct.
Although the work is continuing
to move forward, it is
not doing so unabated. Several
protesters are remaining by the
construction site to showcase
their displeasure.
Due to several delays,
construction is expected to be
completed in 2026.
Alleged Union Square shooter charged
on robbery and weapons crimes
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
A New York City man
was arraigned on multiple
federal charges for
allegedly shooting a man in the
Union Square subway station,
robbing two banks and attempting
to rob a deli, the FBI
announced Oct. 29.
Damon Bailey, 38, was
charged with two counts of
bank robbery, one count of
being a felon in possession
of fi rearms, and one count
of possession of a fi rearm
in furtherance of a crime of
violence, in which fi rearm was
brandished.
“As alleged, during a brazen
multiday armed robbery spree,
Damon Bailey shot a fellow passenger
on a crowded subway,”
said U.S. Attorney Damian
Williams. “We commend the
extraordinary work of our law
enforcement partners who
swiftly connected the many
dots and safely apprehended
the suspect.”
According to charges, Bailey
allegedly committed two
gunpoint robberies in Manhattan
and attempted to commit
two others over the course of
three days. On Oct. 24, Bailey
allegedly fl ashed a fi rearm in
his waistband and demanded
money from a customer in a deli
near Grand Central Station.
On Oct. 25, Bailey allegedly
robbed a bank at gunpoint in
lower Manhattan and, approximately
ten minutes later,
attempted to rob a victim on
the subway and then shot the
victim as the train pulled into
Union Square station at rush
hour. Finally, on Oct. 26, Bailey
allegedly robbed a second
bank at gunpoint in Chelsea. In
each robbery, Bailey allegedly
carried a light gray backpack
and wore sneakers with a green
toe box and white trim.
Following the second robbery,
Bailey got into the subway
but was apprehended and arrested
at the Union Square
station. Based on the proximity
of the second bank to the NQR
subway line, NYPD offi cers
proceeded to a southbound
platform at Union Square subway
station and held an incoming
train to conduct a search
of the train cars for a person
matching the description of the
robber. Police allegedly found
Bailey on a train car carrying
the same backpack and wearing
the same shoes. Upon his
arrest, offi cers allegedly found
two semiautomatic pistols and
one revolver in his backpack.
Bailey’s robbery charges
carry a maximum sentence of
20 years in prison; his possession
of fi rearms charge carries
a maximum sentence of 10
years in prison; and his second
fi rearms charge carries a mandatory
minimum term of seven
years in prison consecutive to
any other term of imprisonment,
up to life in prison.
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
The shooting suspect, identified as Damon Bailey, is
escorted from Union Square station on Oct. 26, 2021.
Crook with
box cutter
robbed man
in East Village
elevator
PHOTO COURTESY OF NYPD
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Police are looking for a man who
robbed a senior man over a cigarette
inside an East Village apartment
building on Thursday afternoon.
According to police, at 2:10 p.m.
on Oct. 28 an 80-year-old man was
stopped outside a building in the vicinity
of Avenue C and East 12th Street by
an unknown man, who asked him for
a cigarette. The suspect followed the
man into the lobby of the building and
into the elevator.
The crook then pulled out a box
cutter and demanded money from the
victim. The suspect then took $60 from
the victim’s pocket before fl eeing the
scene. No injuries were reported as a
result of the incident.
The NYPD released photos and
video of the suspect taken from the
elevator:
The suspect is described as a darkskinned
man between the ages of 30
and 40 years old. He waslast seen
wearing a dark red Under Armour
brand baseball hat, black jacket, red
sweatshirt, red sweatpants, red Nike
brand sneakers and black gloves.
Anyone with information in regard
to this incident is asked to call the
NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at
1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish,
1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public
can also submit their tips by logging
onto the Crime Stoppers website or
on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are
strictly confi dential.
Schneps Media November 4, 2021 3