Tenants hold signs on the steps of City Hall. (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

Even for Stuyvesant Town, this past week has been an eventful one, with the mayor’s office stepping in to work with the community’s tenants and ownership in an effort to maintain affordability. Though there’s a tight, two-month deadline to work with and discussions about the outcome of said talks have been vague so far, the city’s involvement is still a very significant step.
More local elected officials have also chimed in with the usual promises to not allow a repeat of the 2006 sale, which made ST/PCV the poster child for predatory equity. Tenants have heard it all before of course (since it’s repeated at every Stuy Town and housing related press conference). Still, it never hurts for the rest of the city, including any would-be owners, to hear it too.
What hasn’t really been determined, but hopefully will be, in the next couple of months, is what exactly “affordable” means in the eyes of the owner and the city.
Many of the tenants in Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village’s renovated apartments are no more wealthy than their counterparts in unrenovated units, who pay significantly less in rent. So simply “maintaining” or rather keeping the rents around what their current levels are doesn’t necessarily translate into affordability for close to half the population.
Council Member Garodnick has said the de Blasio administration has been made aware of this fact. Ultimately, whatever plan the talks wind up leading to, whether it’s a commitment to longterm rentals or a conversion of some sort, we believe the end result should be that those who live in the community shouldn’t live — or continue to live — in constant fear of getting priced out of their apartments or the city. Isn’t that the only real definition of affordable?

‘PURSE SNATCHER’ NABBED IN STUY TOWN
Police arrested 44-year-old Mark Gallop for grand larceny at the 13th Precinct last Monday at 10:45 a.m. Gallop was allegedly on surveillance video of 1 Stuyvesant Oval and was seen in the lobby of the building taking a woman’s purse.

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT OF OFFICER
Police arrested 27-year-old Rushelle Exeter for assault of a peace officer last Thursday at 3:07 a.m. While in front of the Bellevue Hospital building at 462 First Avenue, Exeter allegedly bit a police officer on the left forearm, breaking the skin and causing pain. Exeter then spit in the face of another officer, causing irritation and pain, police said.

MEN BUSTED FOR ‘GAMBLING’ ON E. 22ND
Police arrested three men for promoting gambling inside 12 East 22nd Street last Friday at 6:15 p.m. Thirty-eight-year-old Shawn Chaconas, 30-year-old Jason Lee and 26-year-year-old Andrew Chaconas were arrested for promoting an illegal poker game at the location.

TWO CAMERA ‘PERVS’ BUSTED IN UNION SQUARE
Police arrested two men for sexual abuse in the Union Square subway station in unrelated incidents.
Forty-two-year-old Adrian Macareno was arrested last Wednesday at 11:08 a.m. Macareno was allegedly using his cell phone in video mode to record under a girl’s shorts. The girl told police that she didn’t know Macareno and didn’t give him permission to film her.
Fifty-four-year-old Karl Coelho was arrested last Wednesday at 3:47 p.m. Coelho was allegedly walking behind a woman with his cell phone lens facing up and in video mode, filming her private parts while she was walking up the stairs to the street. Coelho failed to appear for his court date on a previous summons and also is on the sexual monitoring list.

‘PERV’ NABBED ON ‘L’ PLATFORM
Police arrested 36-year-old Manuel Zambrano for public lewdness at the Union Square subway station last Saturday at 2:15 p.m. Zambrano was allegedly masturbating with both of his hands inside his jogging pants pocket while on the L platform. He was standing by the staircase on the platform and looking up women’s skirts, police said.

‘PURSE SNATCHER’ NABBED ON E. 15TH
Police arrested 53-year-old Darryl Andrews in front of 118 East 15th Street for grand larceny last Friday at 12:04 a.m. The victim told police that Andrews allegedly grabbed her handbag containing her credit card, money and her cell phone without permission.

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR PURSE ‘THEFT’ IN HOSPITAL BATHROOM
Police arrested 46-year-old Mildred Peralta for possession of stolen property last Monday at 12:27 a.m. inside the Hospital for Joint Diseases at 301 East 17th Street. Peralta allegedly told police that she stole someone’s property from a bathroom stall but was going to return it. When the phone was retrieved, it was powered off and the MetroCard that was with it had been removed. Peralta had removed the phone and MetroCard from the victim’s pocketbook, police said.

WOMEN ‘ASSAULT’ CABBIE ON AVE. C
Police arrested 21-year-old Rashyra Autry and 22-year-old Dawnice Cheatham for assault at the corner of Avenue C and East 23rd Street last Sunday at 5:22 a.m. A taxi driver told police that he got into an argument with the two women over a cab ride to New Rochelle and Autry allegedly punched the driver in the face. She also kicked the cab, causing a previous repair of the car’s quarter panel to crack off.

‘TRESPASSING’ NEAR FDR DRIVE
Police arrested 61-year-old Michael Diaz for criminal trespassing in a fenced in area at the FDR and Avenue C last Tuesday at 8:07 a.m. Diaz was allegedly at the location without permission.

MAN BUSTED FOR GIFT CARD ‘THEFT’
Police arrested 46-year-old Anthony Donelson in front of 25 West 14th Street for grand larceny last Wednesday. The address is home to a few retailers, including Guitar Center. Donelson allegedly confessed to a loss prevention officer at the business that over the course of several months, he was making fraudulent gift cards in the amount of $5,039, which were given to unknown people and used at the above location.

‘MENACE’ ARRESTED AT HAO WEI
Police arrested 29-year-old Xian Lin for menacing at the 13th Precinct last Sunday at 4:45 p.m. Lin allegedly entered the Hao Wei restaurant at 493 Second Avenue and punched the victim several times in the face. He also pulled out a knife and threatened the victim, police said.

TWO BUSTED IN DRUG ‘DEAL’ ON EAST 24TH
Police arrested 52-year-old Charles McAtee for possession of a controlled substance in front of 168 East 24th Street last Friday at 9:25 a.m. McAtee allegedly bought eight Xanax tablets from 49-year-old Jose Rivera, who was also arrested for sale of a controlled substance.

MAN BUSTED FOR FAKE PLASTIC
Police arrested 28-year-old George Pauls for forgery inside the Gap at 122 Fifth Avenue last Monday at 2:48 p.m. Pauls allegedly tried to use a forged credit card at the store and was told by the cashier that the card wasn’t valid. Pauls then fled the location, running north on Fifth Avenue, police said. A loss prevention officer followed him and called the police. Pauls was then arrested in front of the store and when he was brought to the precinct, he confessed to using a fraudulent credit card, police said.

UNLICENSED ROCK SALESMAN BUSTED
Police arrested 31-year-old Anwar Knight for violating New York State law in front of 1 Union Square East last Sunday at 2 p.m. Knight was displaying rocks for sale to the public on a folding table without a Department of Consumer Affairs license.

FOOD VENDOR REFUSES TO LEAVE
Police arrested 28-year-old Ahmad Shaker for disorderly conduct at the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 23rd Street last Tuesday at 3:17 p.m. Shaker allegedly refused to move his food cart from the corner, which he was asked to do because it presented a hazard at that location. Police said that Shaker was asked to move the cart numerous times and he refused, then engaged in violent and threatening behavior, saying, “F— that, I’m not moving, I don’t care what you gotta say.”

TEENS BUSTED FOR ‘FAKE’ $100’S
Police arrested two teens for forgery in front of 863 Broadway last Tuesday at 6:06 p.m. Eighteen-year-olds Joshua Faust-Gadsden and Quentya Hawkins allegedly tried to purchase items by passing a counterfeit $100 bill to the cashier. The cashier called the police and the teens were stopped nearby. When police searched them, they were allegedly in possession of fake $100 bills.

MAN ARRESTED FOR SELLING SMOKES
Police arrested 53-year-old Richard Zanetti for violating tax law in front of 490 Second Avenue last Tuesday at 10:10 a.m. Zanetti was allegedly on the sidewalk at the location selling a cigarette carton to another unapprehended person. The tax stamp on the carton was from Virginia, police said.

ASSAULT ON PARK AVENUE SOUTH
Police arrested 25-year-old Bryant McNulty for assault at the corner of Park Avenue South and East 28th Street last Sunday at 4:20 a.m. McNulty allegedly punched two people in the face, causing physical injury.

Alex Schmidt

By Sabina Mollot

Many “Roberts v. Tishman Speyer” tenants, who received their payouts from the class action suit last week were unpleasantly surprised last week when they saw numbers that were smaller than what they were expecting, in some cases due to money CWCapital believed was owed in back rent. Then there were the legal fees and expenses (roughly 30-32 percent of the damages for current tenants). Former residents meanwhile also had money taken out for retroactive MCIs (major capital improvements). Attorneys have previously said that payments would be 100 percent of what tenants overpaid according to the complicated settlement formula that was recently finalized minus legal fees and expenses. They also warned about the possibility of non-payment deductions. However, some tenants told Town & Village they were still surprised, thinking that the figures they saw on the Berdon Claims Administration website as their payouts were what they’d end up with.

Alex Schmidt, the lead attorney representing tenants in “Roberts,” said the fact that the legal fees were 27.5 percent of the $68.5 million cash to be paid to tenants, and possibly up to $5 million in additional fees if there were sufficient unclaimed funds, was shared with tenants on the Berdon site as well as in court orders. Due to how many files were claimed, attorneys got paid an additional $3 million instead of $5 million. As for the money CW believes it is owed in back rent and has withheld as non-payment deductions, Schmidt said his firm has gotten some calls from people who want to file objections. The MCIs, however, Schmidt said, CW can legally charge to former tenants. The Roberts settlement permitted CW to add all MCIs that were approved by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal to the base rent covering periods before December 31, 2011.

“Thus, the MCI Orders that DHCR approved in late October or early November of 2013 covering improvements made in 2008-2009 are chargeable to all class members under the settlement,” Schmidt said.

Current tenants were covered by a settlement recently negotiated by the Tenants Association that either eliminated or reduced MCIs. However, Schmidt said it is possible that a “Roberts” class member could be paid from the current tenants’ “pool” but still be charged retroactive MCIs if they moved out between May 15, 2013 and the date the MCI settlement was finalized in early April, 2014.

As for why the former tenants stuck with MCIs hadn’t been warned about them, Schmidt pointed out that the five MCIs had only been issued last fall. “It was the timing; no one really foresaw that DHCR would grant in October 2013 MCIs for 2008 and 2009 and allow CW to recoup them retroactively,” the attorney said.

Despite the deductions, Schmidt noted that overall the suit still preserves significantly more affordability in ST/PCV than if there had been no legal challenge at all.

“All one has to do initially is to remember how Tishman Speyer was pushing people out before we filed suit and, had we not won, would likely have succeeded over the past six years to convert most of the 11,250 units into market apartments,” said Schmidt. “The 7,000 units that remained rent regulated are now part of the DeBlasio/Garodnick 6000-unit pledge from Fannie and Freddie to keep those units affordable, which I think would have been much harder if not impossible to obtain had we not won. Then, of course, there’s the $173 million in combined damages and past rent savings that the class realized, and the future rent savings many current tenants will continue to realize.” Schmidt noted that former tenants got 110 percent of their estimated damages (before MCIs or deductions). This, he explained, is because about 40 percent of the dollars from the former tenants “pool” was not claimed so those funds paid all the fees for that pool.

Attorneys also answered some of tenants’ questions via an email blast sent by the ST-PCV Tenants Association. In the email, attorneys reiterated that the one third in legal fees and expenses was due to how many class members filed for damages. If not too many people had filed, tenants could have gotten up to 100 percent or even up to 110 percent of their damages. However, following an outreach effort to class members a year ago, nearly 100 percent of eligible current tenants filed for damages, along with 64 percent of eligible former tenants.

Another question was why former and current tenants were in different pools, which meant they could only collect damages from their own pool, even if there was more money remaining in another pool. This one didn’t get an answer with attorneys citing a confidentiality agreement.

“The attorneys cannot comment on them except to say that the issue of dividing the damages from the Tishman Speyer/CWCapital period of ownership into two pools was one of many involved in the give-and-take of the settlement negotiations,” the firm, Wolf Haldenstein, said. Meanwhile, in the end it wouldn’t have made a difference if the rules were different, because all the money in the former tenants’ pool already went to claimants or attorneys.

Jennifer Kops, pictured with daughter Kiki at a Peter Stuyvesant Little League Parade in 2013, has moved within ST/PCV three times in four years. (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

By Sabina Mollot
Last week, residents and former residents of ST/PCV who were members of the “Roberts” class action finally received their long awaited damages checks.
As Town & Village first reported, over 5,000 of them received non-payment deductions and class members who were former residents were subject to retroactive MCI fees.
This week, T&V spoke with a few “Roberts” tenants to ask how the damages as well as the lawsuit itself, which led to lowered rents for many, changed their lives (or didn’t.)
Here’s what they had to say:

Jennifer Kops, a Stuyvesant Town mother of two who works as an administrative assistant, said she didn’t get anything in damages. She thought she’d be getting $434 but didn’t see a dime after legal fees, MCIs and nonpayment deductions. She grew up in Peter Cooper Village and after divorcing, returned over four years ago with children Jack and Kiki. In that time, she and her family have lived in two one-bedroom apartments in Peter Cooper and now a two-bedroom in Stuyvesant Town.
“We’re fine, but the suit didn’t do anything for me,” said Kops. She moved the last time since the upgrade to a two-bedroom was $3,350 a month, only $100 more than what she’d been paying at her last apartment. “Stuy Town is always a little cheaper,” she said.
Though making the rent has never been simple, “we wouldn’t want to leave,” Kops said.
Kops had been on the board of the Tenants Association for a few years, her kids are in the Peter Stuyvesant Little League and she is currently involved in the PTA at her daughter’s school, PS40. There she’s met other moms in similar situations to her own, tenants in Stuyvesant Town, who’ve turned living rooms into bedrooms with either pressurized walls or bookcases for their kids. This is what Kops had done in her last place, but found life in a one-bedroom too difficult.
“The kids are getting older and I needed more space myself. I don’t like sleeping in the living room.”
The new place is on the main floor and she often hears the conversations of the maintenance employees whose lounge is below her apartment, but that’s her only gripe.
“We hear their morning roll call and we can hear them yelling at each other,” said Kops, “but we overlook a garden area. It’s actually very quiet and peaceful.”

Maurice Owen-Michaane (right) and his husband Michael got a $13,000 payout.

Former resident Maurice Owen-Michaane, who lived in Stuy Town for five years until September, 2012, said it wasn’t “Roberts” that changed things for him or his family, but other factors like constant construction that made him think the complex was going downhill and more importantly needing more space after having a baby.
So he moved to Washington Heights where he now lives with his husband and son, and apparently, many other families nearby.
“There are lots of families and kids and strollers,” he said. “It’s nice up here.”
This week, Owen-Michaane went straight to the bank after receiving his $13,000 in damages, which, he said, will be used to send his son to pre-school and pay some of the couple’s student loans, which total $200,000.
“We’re not going on some big vacation,” he said.
Additionally, out of the damages, $1,600 was taken out for retroactive MCI fees. Not having known about that, Owen-Michaane felt that a heads up from the attorneys or tenant leaders “would have been nice.”
Owen-Michaane, who works in real estate sales for the firm Maz Group NY, added, “No one told us anything.”
That said, overall, Owen-Michaane said the suit was definitely still a win for tenants.
“It was a victory for the little guy, the middle class, who usually get forgotten,” he said.

“Roberts” tenant Jill Pratzon, who owns an art restoration business, said after getting her check, she felt misled about the entire lawsuit.
Pratzon, who moved into Stuy Town with her son and husband, a high school teacher, towards the end of the Met Life era, said due to “Roberts,” she got a $90 rent reduction. This brought down the rent for her one-bedroom apartment on Avenue C to just over $3,000. In damages, after deductions, she and her husband each got checks for $37.50.
“I feel like a fool for staying,” said Pratzon, who got a $500 increase at the time of their first renewal when Tishman Speyer took over the property. The couple’ son had just come home from brain surgery, and they asked management to consider not increasing their rent. In response, it was lowered to a $400 increase. Pratzon said she was told at the time that the owner was planting a lot of trees and that she’d love living there because it would be like the Garden of Eden.
“I come home after dark,” she said. “I don’t have time to enjoy the f—ing greenery.”
When Pratzon moved in it was because the building had an elevator and her son was in a wheelchair. “Then he was out and this lawsuit happened and I thought it was going to mean something,” said Pratzon.
Pratzon, who’s 52, said she’s recently begun taking on more clients, working longer hours, six days a week. Now she and her husband are the oldest people on their floor. People in two other apartments moved out this week.
“Everyone is young and coming and going,” she said. “We introduce ourselves and then a few months later, they’re moving out. They’re professionals or about to be young professionals. I’ve got no grievances with them. It’s management.”
Pratzon also pointed out that in order to afford the rent, her family has no savings.
“We’re hanging on with our fingernails. I felt for years that New York doesn’t want us, me with my small business and my husband who helps at-risk kids in Brooklyn.”

Jill Campbell at her new apartment in Williamsburg

Jill Campbell, a documentary maker, moved into Stuyvesant Town in 2008. The following year, with the “Roberts” case being won by tenants, she was attending tenant meetings and hearing about how the apartments were re-regulated and later, about the Tenants Association’s hope of going condo. At one point, she recalled her rent going down slightly as a result of the case, but just last month, after the most recent increase, she felt she couldn’t afford it anymore. And this was after haggling and getting a significant amount shaved off the bill. Campbell asked that the amount of her rent and what she received in damages not be published. However, she noted that due to legal fees, the damages were less than what she thought she’d be getting.
Overall, Campbell, who now lives in Williamsburg, said she doesn’t feel like the lawsuit impacted her, other than if she hadn’t gotten her hopes up for lower rent similar to what those in unrenovated units were paying, she would have moved out sooner.
But that wasn’t the only reason for leaving.
“It felt like we were living in a dorm,” she said. “Especially on weekends when they would leave pizza boxes scattered on the hallway floors.  The door badge system particularly felt like an invasion of privacy as I had to register any guest that I wanted to provide a key for. The price tag was way to high to live in a dorm. All the ‘Roberts’ expectations and the town meetings surrounding the case did was to raise false expectations that my rent would be lower and that one day I might buy the place at an inside price. When both of those did not materialize we had no choice but to leave.”
While she doesn’t feel the suit did much for “Roberts” tenants, Campbell said she believes it did help the older residents in that it stopped the wave of primary residence challenges aimed at getting them out.
“I think it was good for the old-timers who now have peace of mind,” she said.

Software writer Nick Furness, a resident since 2001, said he first lived in Stuyvesant Town in a two-bedroom, then moved into a one-bedroom in 2003 when the rent got higher than he could afford. He and his wife, a handbag designer, were okay until the rent there got to be around $3500. They then started looking around at other places and though they found other places in the East Village that were slightly cheaper, “they were horrible.” Plus, Stuy Town rent at least included utilities and the large windows offered a lot of light.
After the market crashed, in 2008 or 2009, Furness said he was able to negotiate a significantly lower rent. He wasn’t aware of the “Roberts” litigation at the time and now wonders if it was the reason he was able to get Tishman Speyer to agree to reduce his rent to around $2600. Since then it’s been slowly “creeping back up,” said Furness and he now pays a little over $3,000.
“We’re happy to pay it because it’s the going rate for apartments in this neighborhood.”
In damages, the Furnesses were due $17,000. After fees, the amount was around $11,000. He was a bit surprised by the amount, admitting he hadn’t read all the fine print of the settlement. “It’s like how no one ever reads the iTunes contract.”
At the end of the day, while Furness said he wished attorneys had done more to protect tenants from high fees, he believes he’s better off with a rent regulated home.
“With the rules in place,” said Furness, “I feel happier staying here than I would being in the free market. When the market went up stupidly, our rent went up 30 to 40 percent. That would have been hard to bear.”

Peter Stuyvesant Little League juniors team The Gashouse Gang (Photo by Susan Crawford)

Although the team did not recognize why at first, the 2014 Juniors Team was something special from the get-go, according to team manager Tim McCann.
“Once we came up with the name ‘Gashouse Gang’, we somehow knew we were team of destiny,’” said McCann. “We knew we were going to play in the championship game and win.”
After the regular season the GHG was seeded #3 with a record of 6-3-1 in a league comprised of nine teams from the combined leagues from Greenwich Village, Downtown Manhattan, East Harlem and the East Side of Manhattan (PSLL).
All players aged 13-14 were eligible to play and represent their respective leagues and compete for the coveted trophy for the title of best Juniors team in Manhattan.
The Gashouse Gang title run started against the Eagles, seeded #2 and last years title winners from the Greenwich Village League (GVLL). Jackson Rocke was the GHG starting pitcher and faced the difficult task of quieting the Eagles potent offensive lineup. “The Championship had to go through the GVLL league and Jackson was more than up to the task pitching us to an 8-5 win,” said McCann.
Next up was the PSLL’s very own Lightning team who finished with a league leading record of 11-2 record and seeded #1. ‘The good news was a PSLL team was going to the Juniors king of Manhattan; the bad news is it could only be one team, McCann added.
Andrew Mattiello was the GHG starting pitcher and needed to pitch a near perfect game if the GHG was going to win the championship. Mattiello nearly did allowing only two hits as the Gashouse Gang cruised to a 5-2 win in a pressure-packed game in front of friends and family at Bertraum Field located under the Manhattan bridge.
“Were we the best team?” mused McCann as he thought about his team’s achievement, “I guess we were when we had to be but I do believe dusting off the name ‘Gashouse Gang’ certainly played a role in our ability to rise to the occasion.”

Stuyvesant Town is not a public park

To whom it may concern:
I am happy to see the improvements to the grounds of PCVST over the last couple of years including the landscaping, amenities, security and such. I am glad that some of my hard earned money is going to good use. I enjoy the Movies on the Oval, the live concerts and the pure enjoyment of sitting in the Oval and reading a book.
My only concern is why are the amenities that I pay for shared… with many non-tenants.
On any given day there are many non-residents using the Oval as if this was a public park. They treat it like a public park leaving garbage behind and letting kids run around with no regard to people trying to relax. If they want a public park there are many in the city that are supported by their tax dollars. The Oval is supported by the rent paying residents! Not people who come here to walk their dogs and throw parties on the lawn.
The last time I wrote a letter regarding a similar problem, that being the amount of outsiders using our playgrounds, action was taken the day after it was published in the Town & Village newspaper. Staff checks resident cards making sure that the people using our playgrounds, Oval Café, Oval Study and Oval Kids are residents. Why can’t the same be done on the Oval lawn?
I look forward to your response.
Respectfully,
Tom Issing, ST

Nice lip service on rent freeze

If our mayor hand-picked five people to appoint to the Rent Guidelines Board and the RGB vote was 5 to 4 in favor of a rent increase, there is no doubt in my mind that the mayor, despite his so-called plea for a rent freeze, gave the okay to the landlords grab for another rent hike.
Are we ever going to get leaders who mean what they say or has “Truth” and “Justice” been scratched from “Truth, Justice and the American Way?” Superman, where are you?
John Cappelletti,
Sty Town
(in honor of dogs who pee on the “No Dogs” signs)

Who’s serving on TA committees?

To the editor,
It seems like almost a daily occurrence that we hear from the Tenants Association on topics such as two-piece bathing suits, dogs, MCIs and rent freezes.
These usually come from press releases, newspaper articles, rallies and meetings, but often only repeating what our electeds have already said. Who are the directors and what do they do? The TA website lists 15 directors including two presidents emeritus.
We learned recently from the candidates’ bio that the TA has many committees. These include the executive, legal and conversion committees in addition to a special committee on elections. One of this year’s candidates was the chair of the special election committee.
With our future once again up in the air, maybe it is time the TA exchange a press release for some real information about exactly what all of these committees do, especially the Conversion Committee. They keep asking for our support. But what are we supporting? We need some details.
Name withheld, ST

Stuyvesant Town leasing office (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

By Sabina Mollot
Last week, CWCapital was sued by holders of Stuyvesant Town’s mezzanine debt who claimed that the new owner cheated them out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The lawsuit, which was first reported by Bloomberg, is being led by Centerbridge Partners, which is representing six limited liability companies who are named as plaintiffs.
The suit follows a decision by CW last month to take title to Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village through a deed rather than hold a foreclosure sale that had been scheduled for June 13.
By doing this, Centerbridge accused CW of a “continuing pattern of misconduct” to keep control of the property and “reap an unjust windfall of $1 billion” that should go to lower level lenders, who’ve received nothing.
The report went on to say the lenders, in their complaint, called CWCapital’s takeover “executed on the flawed premise that the amount owed on the senior loan was greater than the value of the property.” CW represented that $4.4 billion was owed on the mortgage when the amount was really $3.45 billion, the lenders said.
A spokesperson for Centerbridge, Michele de Milly, said the lawsuit shouldn’t impact the tenants.
In an official statement, Centerbridge said, “We believe that Stuyvesant Town is and will continue to be a unique and extraordinarily important property, both for the City of New York and for the thousands of tenants who make it such a robust community. This legal matter is an inter-creditor dispute and we do not expect it to affect Stuyvesant Town or its residents. Funds affiliated with Centerbridge Partners, which have owned mezzanine loans of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, have been forced to commence this lawsuit because of the actions taken by CW Capital, in violation of an inter-creditor agreement.”
CWCapital, however, denied this and called the suit “without merit.”
“The assertions made in the lawsuit are utterly baseless and without merit,” spokesperson Brian Moriarty said. “The fact that the complaint centers on a deed in lieu transaction completed before the plaintiff acquired their position exposes the plaintiff’s specific intent to wrest a quick profit from ‘purchased litigation.’ Centerbridge acquired this position at a deep discount in hopes of reaping a windfall at the expense of the bondholders we represent and residents who deserve a timely resolution that will provide certainty and a path forward for the community.”
The litigation, which also names commercial-mortgage trusts set up by Wachovia Bank, may slow down a sale process. However, it shouldn’t stop the city from its current plan of trying to work with CW to maintain affordability at the property while satisfying the bondholders.
When CW canceled the foreclosure auction it also agreed to hold off on a sale for two months while working with the de Blasio administration along with local elected officials representing ST/PCV to come up with a plan. According to Council Member Dan Garodnick, this litigation doesn’t change that.
“This is largely a dispute between lenders and it does not affect our strategy,” he said. “The only question is whether this has the effect of slowing things down further, which is not at all clear at this moment.”
A New York Times story on June 11 had quoted Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen as saying a plan was being explored that would keep as many as 6,000 units in ST/PCV affordable in exchange for a tax exemption.
However, as of late June, Garodnick told Town & Village there aren’t yet any numbers figured out and city officials stressed that was just one possibility.
“The numbers that have been floated were hypothetical and not based on the substance of any negotiation,” Garodnick said.
Lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have already committed to not financing a deal that would be unacceptable to the tenants or the city.

One percent increase a positive step

The recently announced one percent RGB increase is a small step toward putting the “stable” back in rent stabilization.
As tenants, we all need to support this action by selecting the one-year option when we renew our leases. This will send a clear message to the RGB and Albany that we want to preserve our community and affordable housing for all New Yorkers.
It will also reject the risky business model followed by the equity predators. This business model is named for its last two words: “It doesn’t matter how much you pay, you can always sell it later to a bigger fool.”  The problem with this model is who is going to be the next bigger fool?
Not the current tenants. We realize that the choice of a 2.75 percent two-year increase is the equivalent of selecting a 1 percent increase this year and a 3.5 percent increase next year! While landlords deserve to cover realistic cost increases, we will not pay for yet another round of replanting because the previous round was done wrong.
Not the future tenants. The equity predators are all targeting recent graduates and other newcomers to the housing market to fill current and future vacancies. But saddled with large student loans and entry-level salaries, the only vacancies they can fill are the empty bedrooms in their parents’ homes.
Not the equity lenders. They have been burned once by the Tishman Speyer default and other failed large real estate deals. They will be following the model established by Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac. (Thank you, Senator Schumer.) The equity predators will have to prove the viability of their projections with more than just an “I said so.”
In other words, the times they are a-changin’ (with apologies to Bob Dylan.) Gone are the days where equity predators can entice bigger fools with frivolous, self-congratulatory costs like the vanity plates on the PCVST security vehicles.
Gone too are the days when the mayor turns a blind eye because, “It’s a private matter.” If the equity predators continue to believe their own hype (the cardinal sin committed by Tishman Speyer), they will find that they are the biggest fools.
Responsible parties within the real estate industry have already shown signs that they are adjusting to accept a different business model based on realistic income forecasts and controlled operating costs.
Let us all give our support to these leaders by overwhelmingly accepting the one-year, one percent increase and rejecting all rent increases that exceed true cost increases.
Bill Huebsch,
ST Resident for 36 years

Mayor didn’t deliver on rent freeze

To the Editor:
Mayor de Blasio is now batting with two strikes against him here in Stuyvesant Town.
First, he sandbagged Councilmember Dan Garodnick, by actively campaigning for Dan’s opponent for City Council speaker.
Then, the mayor capitulated to the real estate industry and disavowed his supposedly ironclad campaign pledge of a rent freeze.
Sandbagging tenants like this has a real cost. A rent increase of one percent will cost ST/PCV residents a total of $3,236,680 every year – calculated as an average rent of $2,000 over 11,235 apartments. Plus, everyone’s base rent is now raised in perpetuity.
This $3,236,680 is money that tenants could have used to support our local community. Or, tenants could have strengthened their retirement savings. Instead, it will go to line the pockets of the hedge fund that controls the property.
The mayor needs to decide whether he is on the side of tenants or the side of hedge funds.
Name Withheld, ST

Can we give Citi Bike hogs the boot?

The following is an email sent to Citi Bike by John Marsh, president of the ST-PCV Tenants Association, shared with T&V.
Subject: “Reserving” or Booting a Citi Bike By For Your Exclusive Use
I wanted to formally bring to your attention the following unfair practice of reserving your own Citi Bike by putting a lock on it, or effectively booting it so other riders can’t take it out.
I came along at 8:20 a.m. on Thursday, June 19th delighted to see a lone bike at the E. 20th and FDR station in Dock #34.  After inserting my Citi Bike key in I was surprised to see that a U-Lock had been placed around the back wheel of bike number 06656. I immediately re-docked the bike, took these photos and called the incident into Citibike Customer Support number.
Whomever (whichever member) successfully undocked and rode this bike next to another Citi Bike station should be warned or disciplined in some manner for this inappropriate behavior.

The following community and entertainment events are taking place this week.

Gramercy quality of life forum on July 15

City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

Manhattan Community Board Six and Gramercy Neighborhood Associates are co-hosting a community forum with representatives from NYC agencies, moderated by City Councilmember Rosie Mendez on July 15 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Agencies will include New York County District Attorney’s office, NYPD’s 13th and 17th Precincts, Department of Sanitation, Department of Transportation, Parks Department and Department of Homeless Services.
It will take place in the School of the Future at 127 East 22nd Street between Park Ave and Lexington Avenue. Panelists will address quality of life issues in the Gramercy neighborhood, including homelessness, safety, traffic and sanitation. Residents can submit questions prior to the forum or in written form during the event.
For more information, contact events@gnaonline.org or office@cbsix.org.

Lectures, dance lessons, kids’ events at Stuyvesant Square Park

Tango lesson at Stuyvesant Square Park (Photo by Ute Lechmig)

The Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association presents the following upcoming events at Stuyvesant Square Park:
Lunch and Learn events take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Wednesday events, from 12:15-1 p.m., are hosted by NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases Horticultural Therapy and Integrative Health Programs. July 16: Mind body movement (meditation), July 23: Herbal tea party.
Thursday events, from 1:15-2 p.m. are hosted by Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s Jannie Wolff. July 24: Health and the uses of herbs.
Chair yoga Tuesdays with Birgit Nagele take place on July 15, 22 and 29 from noon-1 p.m. on the northwest lawn.
Tango Sundays with Esmerelda take place from 6-9 p.m. (beginner lessons at 6 p.m.) at the west fountain.
The NYC Parks Department presents “Play Mobile” on July 15 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
For updates and additional event information, visit spnanyc.org.

Movies on the Oval

Movies on the Oval has returned with a double-feature most Wednesdays through August 13 for ST/PCV residents and their guests. On July 16, 5 p.m. “The Croods,” 7 p.m. “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”

Music Under the Stars

Kaissa

Waterside Plaza’s summer concert series, “Music Under the Stars,” has returned with Wednesday concerts at 7 p.m. each night. There will be a beer and wine bar, with snacks available at the concession stand or hardier fare at the Robbins Nest cafe. Seating is limited on the Plaza. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome.
July 16, Kaissa will perform. Hailing from the Republic of Cameroon and its vibrant culture, singer Kaissa has become an unmistakable representative of African music. Rain date is July 17.

David Hershey-Webb and Friends at Stuyvesant Cove Park last year

David Hershey-Webb and friends will return to Stuyvesant Cove Park to perform original folk, country rock and R&B music on Monday, July 14th at 6:30 p.m. The show is part of the free summer concert series presented by The Stuyvesant Cove Park Association. In the event of rain the performance will take place on Tuesday, July 15.

For even more events going on including outdoor concerts, theater, comedy, kids’ events and more see T&V’s Around & About section.

For free events happening throughout the city, see Cutting Corners.

For local fitness events like free yoga in Union Square and qi gong at Waterside, check out T&V’s Health & Fitness listings.

For the latest programming and special events at local houses of worship, there’s also the Religion in the Community listings.

By Sabina Mollot
Despite the beginning of July being a holiday week, things were still eventful in Stuyvesant Town, where construction has been ongoing at the site of the future management office.
Work at the new facility should be complete some time in August, CWCapital said in a newsletter emailed to tenants at the end of June. Additionally, electrical work beneath the First Avenue Loop that had closed the road for weeks is now complete and excavation has been completed for the site. The work remaining is to complete the roof, which is currently in progress.

Meanwhile, although the work has been progressing on schedule, residents who live in the four buildings affected by the construction along the Loop have had to deal with construction noise that has started in the mornings as early as 6 a.m.
A spokesperson for CWCapital said this week that the work schedule was changed due to the need to pour concrete within a certain timeframe so the project won’t get delayed by adverse weather.

“This has required them to make minor adjustments to the regular schedule,” the rep, Brian Moriarty, said.

In response to the noise issue, Susan Steinberg, chair of the ST-PCV Tenants Association, pointed out that the city Department of Environmental Protection normally allows construction between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Other times, off-hours authorization is required, which in this case management has gotten a permit for.
“Unfortunately, if management has the appropriate permits, there is not too much we can do other than let management know that they are making tenants’ lives miserable,” said Steinberg last Monday. “However,” she added, “if tenants think the noise level may be above allowable decibels, especially on weekends, they should call 311 and create a record.”

By last Tuesday, however, Council Member Dan Garodnick said that after being asked to discontinue the early morning work “for the sake of the peace of residents,” management told him no more work was expected to take place at that time.
“Which is encouraging,” said Garodnick. Last October, Garodnick co-sponsored, along with Council Member Rosie Mendez, legislation aimed at curbing variances that allow owners and developers to do construction work into the evenings.

In other construction news, part of the management office project includes renovating Playground 8, which has begun. According to CW’s last newsletter, the soon-to-come water feature at Playground 8 will have floor-mounted and overhead sprays that keep with the space’s train station theme as well as a new train for kids to play in.

A few other playgrounds in the complex have already been upgraded to include water features or improve the ones that had been there previously.
At Stuy Town’s Playground 4 and Peter Cooper Village’s Playground 2, existing kiddie sprinklers now also include ground sprays, overhead sprays and an interactive spray in Playground PCV 2. Stuyvesant Town’s Playground 2, which didn’t use to have any water sprinklers, now has a water feature that’s interactive and takes up about half the space of the playground.

On Thursday, July 3, a few parents at that playground said they welcomed the new addition as their kids ran around in the sprays.
Peter Cooper resident Stacey Pattillo was one of them although she also had a suggestion for management.
Noting that the sprinklers includes a cannon-like feature that can be moved from one direction to another, Pattillo observed that some of the littler children “come and get blasted” by the high-pressure spray aimed by other kids. “They should keep it fixed to a light shower,” she said. “You see some of the kids get walloped in the face and they get traumatized.” But otherwise, she added, “It’s very nice.”

In more property-related updates, the Oval lawn has officially opened to sunbathers, Moriarty said. Last week, the area was still closed off, leaving desperate sun worshipers attempting to catch some rays on the concrete next to the fountain.

Around the Oval and beyond, the grounds have been extremely colorful lately thanks to the addition of thousands of flowers, which were purchased from local nursery Emma’s Garden Growers.
In its newsletter, CWCapital said the new plantings include: 3,600 caladiums of mixed colors (planted along First Avenue entrances), 1,000 dragon wing begonias, 800 New Guinea impatiens of mixed colors, 800 coleuses of mixed colors, 500 periwinkles of mixed colors, 35 tropical hibiscuses and 35 canna lilies of mixed colors.

Bus stop construction site on First Avenue and 14th Street (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

By William Oddo
I know we are supposed to feel grateful for only a $50 a month rent increase for “maintenance improvements.” Some might suggest common sense and that these maintenance items should be paid from our monthly rent. In any case, there are some significant day-to-day issues that most residents would like improved but few seem to have addressed.
One is unsafe, substandard and hazardous pedestrian intersection ramp condition at intersections and crosswalks. The other is the loss of significant resident parking due to constant “temporary construction” of one sort or another and lack of government attention and repairs.

Sidewalk pedestrian ramp conditions
Throughout our community at sidewalk intersection ramps poorly designed, unsafe physical conditions, and steep ramp angles create conditions for large water “ponding” to form (think ice skating in winter).
This both blocks passage in warm weather rain and creates slipping conditions after practically every cold rain event. The “ponding” condition is worsened by the placement of Citi Bike stations that block drainage along street curbs.

Worse yet, the steep pedestrian ramp angles lack adequate level and safe sidewalk refuge areas (particularly all along the 1st Ave. west sidewalk area – 15th to 22nd St.), and tripping hazards at pavement and curb intersection.
Even in dry weather the most able of us have to be aware of these and other obstacles like phone/billboard obstructions, newspaper stanchions, and other street furniture that block and impede the 13 access nodes/locations surrounding our community.

Fourteen intersection improvements for 25,000+ people shouldn’t be too difficult for our electeds. Here’s the list if they need: 14th St. at Ave. A, B and C; 1st Ave. at 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th and 23rd St.; 20th St. at Ave. A, B and C, and Ave. C at 23rd, 18th and 16th St.
The fact is these pedestrian street crossing ramps do not assure disabled and aging community residents of a safe crossing let alone meet current engineering design standards (plus substandard federal, state, NYC DOT requirements).

Street crosswalk conditions
Once entering the street crosswalk one is presented with more dangerous crossing conditions; don’t even think of tripping here. The worst conditions exist at 1st Ave. at 14th and 20th Streets. Here it’s due to poor pavement conditions, utility manhole location hazards, the abrupt change in crosswalk elevations (urban hill and dale tripping hazards) and constant construction (destroying just finished improvements).
These conditions are of course beyond the usual post winter pothole repairs.

Bus stop construction
The forever bus stop construction project (over a year in the works) surrounding the busiest transit intersection at 14th St. and 1st. Ave has created more pedestrian safety issues and obstacles and further loss of resident parking.This particular project begins along 14th Street (in front of our closest and one of busiest MTA community bus stops) and extends along First Ave to 16th Street.
So if you need to transfer from a 14th St. bus to 1st Ave. bus or from 14th St. “L” train stop, just hike on over to 16th Street. It’s comical if not a pathetic situation.

Neighborhood parking search
Apparently, pedestrian walking hazards and residents driving in circles after work (yes there are jobs that are not near public transit or require private vehicles) in search for a parking space have escaped the attention of our local elected officials.
Recently, we have lost significant parking along the entire First Ave. Loop road and created pedestrian obstacles with little or no mitigation. We have lost almost 200 parking spaces all 14th and 15th Street due to Con Ed. They said this was a terrorist hazard but only at this power pant.

If you live in a public housing residence on 14th Street there is a good chance private, onsite parking is available for about $100 a month. Better yet for free on the non-terrorist side of the 14th Street power plant.

Some possible solutions
So here’s what our elected officials can do to get to work to help everyday conditions for all our residents:
1. Improve all 14 intersections surrounding our community free of “ponding” and designed to meet NYC/S and federal pedestrian design standards.

2. Identify and create permanent and robust intersection crosswalks at major crossings in our community. Once completed, no major deconstruction work is allowed unless in extreme emergencies. This can be accomplished by building adequately sized utility access conduits (mini-tunnels) for future needs under these crosswalks.
This would require an inter-department and public /private property coordination to establish future design and construction requirements and standards for access. Just think what we did in Times Square – we can do this here. Let’s start with 1st Ave. at 14th and 20th Street as a pilot.

3. Relocate all Citi Bike on street parking to city owned islands and wide sidewalk areas surrounding our community. That effort alone would regain about 30 to 40 permanent parking space for our community and improve drainage and intersection “ponding.” There are plenty of examples of this suggestion all around our community and city. (Hint, photos examples sent to our local officials).

4. Redesign and reopen hundreds of safe parking spaces along 14th and 15th Streets and still keep us safe from terrorists. An added benefit is pedestrian safety adjacent to our schools, parks, churches, and synagogues will be significantly improved and vehicular traffic reduced. Why? Because vehicles to and from the FDR Drive will have access to highway ramps that have been closed.

5. Contact our local electeds and Community Board 6 officers (some even live in our community) to act on your behalf to improve a few everyday community safety conditions.

William Oddo is a Stuyvesant Town resident and founder of Stuyvesant Town Quiet Oval.

Seth Shire in Stuyvesant Town (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

By Seth Shire
Obfuscate: To stupify or bewilder. To darken or confuse.
I am writing this article to bring to light my experience with the misleading business practices of Verizon FiOS. I am hoping to save other residents of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village from the problems I have had.
Two years ago, in May of 2012, I accepted a FiOS offer for TV, internet and telephone. The cost was $84.99 per month, with a two-year contract. Adding in taxes and other charges the monthly total came out to $94 and change. The service that I received was fine.

This past May, knowing I was at the end of my two-year contract, I called Verizon FiOS to see what kind of a deal I could make to continue the service. I spoke to a Verizon representative (I’ll call him Representative #1) who told me that I could have the same services, with a two-year contract, for $95 a month (not including taxes and other charges).

I asked Representative #1 if I could have a lower rate if I dropped some channels from my cable package. He told me that he could put me on a lower channel tier but that I would lose some sports channels. I was fine with that but emphasized that I did not want to lose CNN or TCM (Turner Classic Movies).  Representative #1 assured me that I would not lose CNN or TCM. I agreed to the two-year contract.

The next time I turned on my TV I discovered that I no longer had TCM.
I called Verizon, spoke to another representative (Representative #2) and had TCM restored, which meant going back to my original channel tier. I then said that I would take the deal for all my present services for $95 a month (as had originally been offered to me by Representative #1).

I was then connected to another representative (Representative #3) who said I could no longer have that rate because I had been “grandfathered” in for the $95 monthly rate and, since I had moved to a different tier, I could no longer go back to that rate. I explained that the reason I had moved to the different tier was because of incorrect information (the promise of keeping TCM) made by Representative #1. Representative #3 said something to the effect of “Oh that’s just human error” and that there was nothing she could do about it.
I asked Representative #3 what kind of a deal she could offer me. After putting me on hold for quite a while she came back with an offer. She said she would increase my internet speed and keep my present TV and telephone package if I took a two-year contract. She explained that my monthly rate would be $90 for the first year ($105 with taxes and surcharges). She said she did not know what my rate would be for the second year. I agreed to this deal as it seemed to be the best I was going to get and with the knowledge that I had 30 days to cancel it.

I called back later and spoke to Representative #4. I said that I thought it unfair for me to commit to Verizon for two years when they were only committing to me for one year (the $90 monthly rate, for only one year). Representative #4 said my rate for the second year would be $114 per month, but that there would be discount deals available. She recommended that I take the $90 per month deal for now and that I call back in a year because there would always discounts available.
So my 30-day trial period ticked by (it is funny they call this the “30-day worry free” guarantee, considering what transpired). On the 31st day I received an email from Verizon telling me that my bill was now $185.  I called Verizon and spoke to Representative #5. I explained that my contract was for $90 month ($105 with taxes and surcharges). To my incredible frustration, Representative #5 told me that I had no contract at all!

When I explained about the $90 rate for one year with a two-year contract that I had been given (by Representative #4) and the increase in internet speed, Representative #5 said that no one would have given me that deal. When I recounted how Representative #4 said I should call back in a year to see what deals were available for the second year, Representative #5 claimed that they no longer negotiated with customers.
When I asked why my bill was $185 she said it included charges from May to June. When I explained that I had already paid my bill for May to June she gave me an incomprehensible explanation and told me that, going forward, my monthly bill (with taxes and surcharges) would be around $150! Representative #5 went on to tell me that she thought the deals that Verizon FiOS made for new customers were too good. She also told me to be a more careful consumer and get things in writing. Lesson learned.

To sum up: Representative #1 gave me incorrect information, which caused me to make a change to my plan. Representative #3 said that because I made a change in my plan I was no longer eligible for the $95 per month rate on a two-year contract. Representative #4 gave me a two-year contract with a monthly rate of $90 ($105 with taxes and surcharges) for the first year. Then I received a bill for $185. Representative #5 denied that I had any contract at all. She also said that Representative #4 never made me the offer that she had, in fact, made to me, and to which I had agreed.
Fortunately, here in Stuyvesant Town (and, I believe, in Peter Cooper Village also) we have choices other than Verizon FiOS. I am sure that Verizon has benefited enormously from selling services to residents of our community. This is how they showed their appreciation to me.

At the end of June I switched my telephone, TV and internet over to RCN. RCN has been a pleasure. Their internet is fast and the TV and telephone work just fine. The price for all three is reasonable. Instead of having to deal with a different customer service representative each time I call, as was the case with FiOS, at RCN I deal with one customer service representative. He returns calls and emails and is committed to customer satisfaction. The RCN technician who came to switch me over to RCN was the nicest, most patient and hardest working technician I have ever seen.

I would like to hear from other tenants who have had trouble with Verizon FiOS.
I can be contacted at seth@townvillage.net.

Editor’s note: Town & Village contacted Verizon FiOS regarding Shire’s customer service experience. Below is the response from company spokesperson Lee Gierczynski:
“Mr. Shire contacted Verizon to renew his FiOS services at end of his contract and wanted to retain the same pricing and products. Verizon made every attempt to keep costs/products similar yet current service offerings required changes which would have slightly increased his pricing.
“Due to a service order processing error, the pricing and products did change beyond what was discussed with Mr. Shire, which resulted in his dissatisfaction. Subsequent calls to Verizon did not resolve these issues, and Verizon is further reviewing the order.”

Seth Shire is a professor at CUNY Queens College during the summer and Queens College and CUNY York College during the fall. He also sometimes writes news articles and film reviews for Town & Village.
 

Assault suspect

COP IN COMA AFTER ASSAULT
The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating a man who assaulted an off-duty NYPD detective in the confines of the 13th Precinct.
Last Saturday, a 29-year-old off-duty NYPD detective was standing on the southbound 6 train platform at the 23rd Street and Park Avenue station at 6:23 p.m. when the other man punched him. The blow knocked the detective down onto the platform, where he hit his head and sustained a severe head injury. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. The suspect, who was accompanied by two women, fled the subway station on foot.
According to the Daily News, the detective had gotten into an argument with the man before the suspect punched him in the face. Gothamist reported on Sunday that the cop is now in a medically-induced coma.
The suspect is described as a black man in his early 40s, approximately 5’9” and 200 lbs. He is described as wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

‘RECKLESS’ CYCLIST NABBED ON THIRD AVE.
Police arrested 36-year-old Shi Chen for reckless endangerment at 344 Third Avenue last Tuesday at 12:25 p.m. Chen was riding his bicycle on Third Avenue approaching East 25th Street. He was allegedly speeding and went through a steady red light. When he was going through the intersection, he almost hit a woman who was crossing the street in the crosswalk with her baby, police said.

EXPOSED ON E. 23RD ST.
After responding to a complaint from a pedestrian about man exposing himself on the sidewalk, police arrested Jason Ecnatiowicz, 33, last Tuesday, in front of the Foundry building at 310 East 23rd Street. Police said upon searching him, they found that he was allegedly in possession of a pipe with unknown drug residue and an unlabeled bottle of pills. He was arrested for alleged possession of a controlled substance, but not public lewdness.

WOMAN ‘BITES’ MAN OUTSIDE STUY TOWN
Police arrested 25-year-old Sara Irshad for assault in front of 270 First Avenue last Friday at 4:14 a.m. Irshad allegedly punched, scratched and bit a man, causing physical injury and cuts to his upper body and left arm.

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT
Twenty-six-year-old Cikizwa Nkonzombi was arrested for assault at 112 East 23rd Street last Wednesday at 1:16 p.m. The victim told police that Nkonzombi was upset about the amount of money she was being charged in lawyer fees. She allegedly became enraged and began to throw paper around and strike the victim, who sustained small scratches to his hands.

‘JOYRIDER’ NABBED ON E. 20TH
Police arrested 20-year-old Shadi Torres for grand larceny last Wednesday at 12:24 a.m. in front of 601 East 20th Street. Torres allegedly entered a utility vehicle that had been left unattended and then went joyriding, hitting three vehicles and causing damage to those vehicles and the truck that he was driving.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ‘SEX ABUSE’
Police arrested 28-year-old Duraiarasan Arivudai for sexual abuse in front of 161 West 15th Street last Monday at 6:49 p.m. The victim told police that she was walking east on the sidewalk when Arivudai ran up to her and pushed her against a UPS truck, causing her to hit her head on the truck. Arivudai also allegedly grabbed her head and tried to kiss her.

UNLICENSED ‘MASSEUSE’ BUSTED
Thirty-six-year-old Ping Du was arrested for violating New York State law in front of 101 West 25th Street last Friday at 4 p.m. Du allegedly gave a massage to an undercover officer and could not produce a valid New York State massage license when asked.

PAIR BUSTED FOR ‘POT’
Police arrested 55-year-old Mark Gaffney and 17-year-old Tairyn Rosario for possession of marijuana at 3 East 15th Street last Monday at 8:23 p.m. Gaffney and Rosario were allegedly each holding a joint in plain view on a public sidewalk.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ‘K2’
Police arrested 57-year-old Marcos Cardenas at Sixth Avenue and West 26th Street after Cardenas was seen allegedly smoking synthetic marijuana.

BAG ‘THIEF’ BAGGED
A fourteen-year-old boy was arrested for grand larceny in front of 22 East 17th Street last Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. A man told police that he had left his Under Armour bookbag under the seat unattended at McDonald’s while walking his friend out to the front. After he returned to his seat, he saw that his bag was gone. A little while later, an NYPD lieutenant saw the teen at 22 East 17th Street. The teen was looking through the bag and seemed excited that there was a laptop in it. After the teen was arrested and brought to the precinct, the victim confirmed that the bag was his. The value of his stolen property was $1,655.

MAN FOUND SLEEPING INSIDE CHASE BANK
Police arrested 46-year-old Adolphus Ward for trespassing at the Chase bank at 501 Second Avenue last Wednesday at 6:57 a.m. Ward was allegedly inside the bank’s ATM area without permission.

BIKE ‘THIEF’ BUSTED
Police arrested 45-year-old Kenneth Finch at 60 West 23rd Street last Wednesday at 2:57 p.m. for possession of burglar’s tools. Finch was allegedly cutting a lock that secured a bicycle at the above location and the victim confirmed that it was his bike. Finch was also in possession of a knife that was bigger than four inches, police said.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ‘KNIFE’
Forty-nine-year-old Gabriel Blake was arrested for weapons possession last Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. in front of 177 West 25th Street. Blake was suspiciously looking into the plastic bag that another man was carrying and he was allegedly carrying a gravity knife in public view. He also had a small gravity knife in his wallet, police said.

‘DRUNK’ DRIVER NABBED AT SIXTH AVE.
Police arrested 27-year-old Rosemary Lee for intoxicated driving at Sixth Avenue and West 26th Street last Thursday at 1:19 a.m. Lee was allegedly operating the vehicle with an obstructed license plate and when she was stopped, police found that she appeared to be driving under the influence of alcohol. She was tested at the scene with a portable Breathalyzer and recorded a level of .134.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ‘DRUGS’
Police arrested 50-year-old Garry Boake for possession of a controlled substance at Broadway and West 28th Street last Thursday at 3:45 p.m. Boake was allegedly purchasing marijuana from another unapprehended person at the corner and when police searched him, they found that he was in possession of a controlled substance.

MAN ARRESTED IN STUY COVE PARK
Police have been regularly making arrests of people sleeping or lying on benches in public parks or being in the parks after hours. Last Tuesday morning, police arrested 38-year-old Jose Orta for lying on a bench at Stuyvesant Cove Park at East 23rd Street and the East River.

WOMAN NABBED FOR IPOD ‘THEFT’
Twenty-three-year-old Emmalyn Sharf was arrested for grand larceny at 412 Third Avenue last Sunday at 5:47 a.m. Sharf allegedly swiped an iPod from someone’s pocket

Several free, outdoor concerts are scheduled for this week. Read on for details.

The Rutkowski Family Trio at a concert last year at Stuyvesant Cove Park

The Stuyvesant Cove Park Association 2014 Concert Series continues with Paul Sachs, Amy Allison and Dave Murphy on Monday, July 21 from 6:30-8 p.m. Rain date is July 22. Later in the week on Wednesday, July 23, the Rutkowski Family Trio (pictured), joined by friends and vocalist Lisa Gary, will perform a repertoire of traditional jazz from 7-8 p.m. The rain date is Thursday, July 24. All concerts in the series are free and take place in the park at 23rd Street and the East River.

Better Than Ezra

Music on the Oval has returned to Stuyvesant Town. All ST/PCV residents and their guests are invited to attend two concerts on Wed., July 23 and Thurs., July 24 at 6 p.m. both evenings. On July 23, Better Than Ezra will perform. Big Wake will open the show. On July 24, Ed Kowalczyk will perform. Sylvana Joyce + The Moment will open.

Jon Cleary

The Madison Square Park Conservancy presents Mad Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series, featuring award-winning performers in a range of genres  such as jazz, soul, R&B, funk, folk, world, Americana, and bluegrass.  On July 23 from 7-8:30 p.m. Jon Cleary will perform. Concerts take place on the Oval Lawn of Madison Square Park.

Waterside Plaza will conclude its summer concert series, “Music Under the Stars” with a performance by Nu D’lux on July 23 at 7 p.m. There will be a beer and wine bar, with snacks available at the concession stand or hardier fare at the Robbins Nest cafe. Seating is limited. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome.

For information on even more concerts and other events taking place in the community, see Town & Village’s Around & About page. For information on free events taking place this week throughout the city, see Cutting Corners.

Compiled by Maria Rocha-Buschel

‘GROPER’ CAUGHT AT STUY TOWN RED MANGO
Fifty-nine-year-old David Mavashev was arrested for sexual abuse inside the Red Mango at 264 First Avenue last Wednesday at 12:59 p.m. Mavashev allegedly grabbed the victim’s butt and left breast while she was working.

‘TERRORIST THREAT’ AT GANSEVOORT HOTEL
Police arrested 55-year-old James Goff for terrorist threats last Sunday at 9:28 p.m. inside the Gansevoort Hotel at 420 Park Avenue South. Goff allegedly told a hotel employee, “A bomb will go off tonight or tomorrow over here.” Police searched the building but didn’t find a bomb, but while investigating, found that Goff did have an active warrant for his arrest.

MAN PUNCHED OUTSIDE BETH ISRAEL
Cops arrested Ezzard Davis, 41, after he allegedly punched another man in the face in front of Beth Israel, 281 First Avenue and 16th Street last Friday at 9:34 a.m. Police said the punch only caused a small cut.

PARKS EMPLOYEES BUSTED FOR ‘THEFT’
Police arrested 52-year-old Lydia Brito and 26-year-old Arabian Breland for stolen property at Union Square West and East 17th Street last Wednesday at 9:39 p.m. Police were in the park responding to a radio run of an assault. The victim told police that he was in the park and put his bag down before a fight started and after someone punched him in the face, he noticed that his bag was gone. Witnesses later told police that two park employees, Brito and Breland, had taken the bag and put it into their garbage pail. Police approached them later in the park office and asked if they had found a backpack with a cell phone in it. They both said no but they were allegedly in possession of the backpack and knew where the cell phone was.

MAN BUSTED FOR ‘THEFT’ FROM RESTAURANT
Police arrested Lawrence Wallace, 47, for petit larceny at First Avenue and East 17th Street last Tuesday at 3:04 p.m. A waitress in a nearby restaurant told police that she seated Wallace, who then headed to use the bathroom while the waitress continued greeting customers. She noticed a few minutes later that he was leaving and one of her co-workers told her that Wallace swiped a cell phone and $72 in cash off one of the tables. When she and her co-worker attempted to stop Wallace, he allegedly stuffed the cash down his pants and fled on foot. He was found on the back of a public bus and was in possession of the cash and the phone, police said.

POST OFFICE ‘TRESPASSER’ :
I DON’T KNOW HOW I GOT INSIDE
Police arrested 31-year-old Anthony Palermo for trespassing inside the Post Office at 149 East 23rd Street last Saturday at 12:05 a.m. Palermo was allegedly inside the lobby of the post office, which was closed at the time. He couldn’t get out because all the doors were locked. He told police that he didn’t know which door he got in through and that he entered the post office accidentally. A postal inspection service inspector told police that they will not prosecute for federal charges but police could proceed with state trespassing charges.

CHAIR THROWN AT BETH ISRAEL NURSE
Police arrested 21-year-old Micael Bekele, a psychiatric patient at Beth Israel, after he allegedly fractured a nurse’s wrist. Bekele was at the hospital at 9 Perlman Place for evaluation last Wednesday morning when he allegedly threw a chair at a nurse in charge of his care, causing her wrist to fracture.

WOMAN NABBED IN
MADISON AVENUE ‘ROBBERY’
Police arrested Jessica Darling, 29, after she allegedly robbed another woman on Madison Avenue and East 26th Street last Thursday at 4:29 a.m. Police said Darling approached a woman and asked for money and when the woman told her no, Darling allegedly reached behind her back into her waistband and demanded money in a threatening manner. The victim told police she believed Darling was reaching for a weapon.

MAN BUSTED FOR CAB ‘VANDALISM’
Police arrested 36-year-old Jay Oren for criminal mischief at East 14th and Third Avenue last Tuesday at 12:17 a.m. Oren intentionally broke the rear right window on the passenger’s side of a cab, police said. The value of the property was approximately $250.

WOMEN ARRESTED IN FIGHT ON THIRD AVE.
Twenty-one-year-old Starasia Allen and 36-year-old Celina Coleman were arrested for assault in front of 395 Third Avenue last Wednesday at 3:16 a.m. Allen allegedly punched Coleman in the head and stuck a comb in her ear, causing her some physical injury. Police said that Coleman also punched Allen in the head, causing a bump and bruising.

SCHNAPPS-DRINKER BUSTED FOR ‘KNIFE’
Police arrested 19-year-old James Charltown for weapons possession at 24 Union Square East last Wednesday at 12:53 p.m. Charltown was seen drinking peppermint schnapps out of a water bottle in the park and when police searched him, he was allegedly in possession of a gravity knife in his right front pocket.

ARREST FOR NAPPING NEAR ATM
Police arrested 61-year-old Gerald Russell for criminal trespassing inside the ATM area at 360 Park Avenue South last Thursday at 9:48 a.m. Russell was allegedly sleeping inside the bank without permission to do so.

MAN ARRESTED FOR SLEEPING IN FOUNTAIN
Twenty-two-year-old Nicholas Phillips was arrested at 1 Union Square West last Tuesday at 6:45 a.m. Phillips was allegedly sleeping inside the park water fountain, which he got into by climbing over a four foot wall, against park rules and regulations.

SUBWAY ‘MUSICIANS’ BUSTED
Police arrested 32-year-olds Raymond King and Gregory Hood in the Union Square subway station last Saturday at 7 p.m. Hood and King were allegedly making “unreasonable noise” with a drumset inside the station.

MAN PUNCHED AT BRC
Twenty-nine-year-old Jonathan McDuffie was arrested for assault in the BRC (Bowery Residents Committee) shelter at 127 West 25th Street last Friday at 8:08 p.m. McDuffie allegedly argued with the victim while he was playing video games and then punched him in the head and face. The punches caused a raised lump on his forehead.

‘FORGER’ CAUGHT WITH CREDIT CARDS
Police arrested 44-year-old Michael Jones for forgery in front of 60 West 23rd Street last Tuesday at 2:42 p.m. An officer recognized Jones as a person wanted for a prior grand larceny in the 13th Precinct. When he was stopped, he was allegedly in possession of several credit cards that weren’t his.

Tenants’ lead attorney on “Roberts v. Tishman Speyer” Alex Schmidt
(Photo courtesy of Wolf Haldenstein)

By Sabina Mollot
With the deadline for “Roberts” tenants and former tenants to file objections to non-payment deductions and retroactive MCIs having passed on Monday, attorneys have counted objections from 125 people. This is after over 5,000 “Roberts” plaintiffs received non-payment deductions (NPD) and former tenants in the class action had to pay retroactive MCIs, which were reduced or eliminated for current tenants only.

As of Monday, attorneys said there were 81 objections to the deductions from tenants believed by CWCapital to be in arrears with their rent, 22 objections to the retroactive MCIs, and 24 objections to both the arrears and the retroactive MCIs. While attorneys said they had not yet had a chance to review all the complaints, it did appear that the NPDs were being challenged because tenants thought they were inaccurate and former tenants’ reason for objecting to the MCIs was mostly lack of notice.

However, attorney Michael Liskow, of the firm Wolf Haldenstein, said former tenants were notified about the MCIs to be paid to the owner in the “Roberts v. Tishman Speyer” settlement agreement and the notice of the settlement that was sent to all the class members.
In some cases, former tenants may have been unaware of the MCIs due to their having moved out by the time they were finally approved by the state housing agency last fall. But even without notice, the MCIs have to be paid as a result of the settlement, attorneys have said.

This week the following, free events will be held outdoors in parks and other spaces open to the public.

 Folk dancing at Stuy Cove Park

Folk dancing led by Christine Meyers

The Stuyvesant Cove Park Association presents an evening of folk dancing led by Christine Meyers.

The session will take place on Saturday, August 2 at 7 p.m. at the park. No experience is necessary and all are welcome to attend regardless of age or fitness level. In the event of rain the event will take place on Sunday, August 3.

Movies at Waterside Plaza

“Bend it Like Beckham”

Waterside Plaza presents the return of RCN-sponsored movie nights on the plaza throughout August. Films will be shown on August 4 (“Bend it Like Beckham”), August 11 (“Kung Fu Panda”), August 18 (“Moneyball”) and (“Invincible”) August 25 at 8 p.m. (dusk) each night. No rain date. Event is cancelled if it rains.

Additionally, on August 16 at 8 p.m., Waterside will hold its first international food festival outside on the plaza. Event occurs rain or shine.

For more information, contact Yenneca Ketzis at yketzis@watersideplaza.com.

 Movies at Tompkins Square Park

David Bowie in “The Labyrinth”

Films in Tompkins presents screenings on Thursdays throughout the summer in the park, presented by Howl! Arts. See the Films in Tompkins Facebook page for updates.

On Aug. 7, “The Labyrinth” will be shown.

On Aug. 14, “Midnight Cowboy.”

Concert series concludes at Madison Square Park

Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds

Madison Square Park Conservancy will conclude the twelfth season of Mad Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series on Aug. 6 from 7-8:30 p.m., with a performance by Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds. Concerts take place on the Oval Lawn of Madison Square Park. The park is located at 23rd St. between Madison and Fifth Aves. Concerts occur rain or shine and are appropriate for the whole family. Visitors are encouraged to bring a blanket and picnic (no chairs allowed. For more information, visit madisonsquarepark.org.

 Traveling theater in the East Village

“EMERGENCY!!! or The World Takes A Selfie,” a musical comedy about a New York EMT worker, will tour city streets, parks and playgrounds. A local performance will be held on Aug. 2 at 2 p.m. on First Ave. and 10th St.  (Photo by Jonathan Slaff)

Theater for the New City presents “EMERGENCY!!! or The World Takes a Selfie,” a musical which will tour city streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs from Aug. 2 to Sept. 14. The Sat., Aug. 2 show at 2 p.m. will take place in front of TNC, First Ave. and E. 10th St. The running time is one hour. Shows will take place at different sites in the five boroughs, returning to the East Village community for two performances in September. In this musical, a New York EMT worker is on a workingman’s grand tour of the world and decides to tackle global problems the way he does emergencies of his NYC beat. Every day, an EMT worker becomes inextricably entwined with the private lives of all kinds of New Yorkers, with all their personal crises. The hero of this play ministers to the widest variety of human beings, from vaudeville entertainers to ladies of the night to planet-saving protesters to occasional investigative journalists, one of whom makes him a sidekick for a worldwide expedition through trauma, violence, spying and accidental wars on a global scale. The music varies in style from bossa nova to hip hop to musical comedy to Gilbert & Sullivan.

Summer Streets

On three consecutive Saturdays in August, nearly seven miles of NYC’s streets are opened for people to play, run, walk and bike. Summer Streets provides space for healthy recreation and encourages New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation. In 2013, more than 300,000 people took advantage of the open streets.

A rest stop along the route will be located at East 25th Street and Park Avenue South. Additionally, the DOT will be offering free bike helmet fittings on East 24th Street and Park Avenue South on Saturday, August 2 from 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Fittings will also be offered during Summer Streets on August 9 and 16. For details, visit nyc.gov/summerstreets.

For even more events going on this week, including concerts, theater, kids’ events, art exhibits, burlesque and walking tours, see Town & Village’s Around & About section.

To find out about free events taking place throughout the city, see our Cutting Corners section.

For health related events, including free fitness classes, support groups and screenings, see Health and Fitness.

For events and services being organized by local houses of worship, see Religion in the Community.

Kathy Hochul gets an earful from tenants and local elected officials during a walk through the complex. (Pictured) Council Member Dan Garonick introduces her to Public Safety Chief Bill McClellan. (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

By Sabina Mollot

The Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, which has recently enlisted the aid of the de Blasio administration in an effort to maintain some affordability in the complex, is also now hoping it will have an ally in Kathy Hochul, Governor Cuomo’s choice for the next lieutenant governor.

On Thursday afternoon, Hochul joined Tenants Association Chair Susan Steinberg along with a handful of TA volunteers on a stroll through Stuy Town, and got filled in on tenants’ more pressing concerns. She’d come at the request of Council Member Dan Garodnick, who was also there with Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh. Prior to the walk through the grounds, Hochul, a former Congresswoman asked the small group, “What’s on your mind?”

“You got a whole afternoon?” was Steinberg’s answer.

Tenants then began chiming in about the dormification of the community with students packing into apartments in order to make the rent affordable, major capital improvements (MCI) for what often seems like unnecessary work — and tenants’ frustration at having to pay for those improvements in perpetuity — and the fear of both longterm and newer tenants of getting priced out. Other topics brought up included more longterm tenants’ fear of harassment, increased transience and questions about what will happen to the rents when the J-51 tax abatement expires in the year 2020. Steinberg also briefed Hochul on the TA’s partnership with developer Brookfield aimed at a condo conversion as well as CW’s lack of interest in talking business with them. Al Doyle, the former president of the Tenants Association, brought up the ongoing issue of predatory equity throughout the city, with Stuy Town, of course, being the poster child for the practice.

Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh and Kathy Hochul (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

Kavanagh and Garodnick brought up that they wanted to see the rent laws get strengthened, but the State Senate hasn’t exactly been friendly to tenants. While refraining from making any promises, Hochul said she thought the community is “worth fighting for.” If she becomes lieutenant governor, she pointed out, she’d have the tie-breaking vote in the event of a deadlock in Albany. From 2011-2013, Hochul represented New York’s 26th District, which includes the areas of Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

During her time in Congress, she lived with colleague Carolyn Maloney in Washington.

“We used to say that we should have a reality show, ‘The Real Women in Congress,’” said Hochul. When asked how Maloney was as a roommate, Hochul admitted, “She’s a lot cleaner than I am.” As for the current state of the Congress, Hochul casually remarked that it’s “the most dysfunctional government on the planet.” However, she added quickly, “There are still a lot of good people out there.”

Hochul also touted her experience, claiming she’d helped make the Department of Motor Vehicles “a more positive experience” when she served as county clerk and when in Congress, fought with other Democrats “like pit bulls” to get more cash for restoration after Hurricane Sandy than Republicans wanted to allocate. During the walk through the grounds, Hochul said that from what she’s seen, “Everybody wants the same thing. A safe house, a job, their kids to get a good education. It’s universal. It’s not downstate or upstate. This is what the governor and I are focused on.”

Steinberg pointed out some positive aspects of the community like the playgrounds, a few of which recently got new water features, and the hayrides for kids that take place each Halloween. When passing by the Oval Café/Playground 9 area, Hochul remarked, “I’d like to live here.”

When the group walked past the Public Safety office, Garodnick, realizing officers might think tenants were about to rally, made a point to say hello and introduce Hochul to Public Safety Chief Bill McClellan. Soon afterwards, Hochul left the complex at First Avenue and the crowd dispersed.

Hochul (right) listens to tenants, including Tenants Association Chair Susan Steinberg and Council Member Dan Garodnick, discuss quality of life issues and dwindling affordability in Stuy Town. (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

Steinberg then said that she did feel Hochul was genuinely listening to tenants. “I think she got it,” Steinberg said. Kavanagh also said he thought she’d make “a strong partner in the executive branch,” and support tenants, while Garodnick also said he believed Hochul would be in tenants’ corner. “She is clearly a serious and thoughtful person who was willing to take the time to understand our unique challenges,” Garodnick said.

Doyle, meanwhile, just seemed happy that the would-be lieutenant governor got to hear firsthand from tenants how all the different types of rent increases were impacting the community.

“Homeowners outside the city, when we tell them how (an MCI) is a permanent increase, they don’t believe us,” he said.

Following the stroll, T&V asked what Hochul’s thoughts were on the Cuomo administration doing something to preserve dwindling stability and affordability in the community.

Responding in a written statement, she said, “Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village are critical to keeping New York affordable. I will work closely with the governor, along with the office of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, to ensure that the rights of thousands of rent-regulated tenants are maintained and preserved for generations to come.”

There was no response, though, when T&V asked Hochul’s campaign reps if she wanted to comment on investigation over corruption in the governor’s Moreland Commission. However, in an interview this week with Buffalo-based NBC news outlet WGRZ, she defended the commission, saying, “they had the independence to do what they needed to do.”

Inconsistent landscaping is being ignored

I am a resident of Stuy Town for over 30 years. While a lot of landscaping continues in Stuy Town and you write articles full of the ongoing plantings and landscaping, everyone has ignored the fact that the landscaping to the entrance of many buildings is by and large ignored.

If everyone would just get it right! The T level is the front of the building and the front entrance and exit used 90 percent of the time by the residents, where cars, delivery, moving and mail trucks pull up. The M level, which is actually the back entrance, is scary because it is too quiet and women look over their shoulder when using this entrance. Yet the landscaping focus has been on the M and not the T for a long time now.

Consistently some buildings have pretty landscaping and many others are void of any landscape and are in fact an embarrassment. Check out 1 and 3 Oval. Forever ignored, the Terrace levels which again really are the front entrances of the buildings are indeed quite ugly. Is anyone ever going to do anything about it?

Below are pictures of the 1 Stuyvesant Oval T entrance.

Gazala Chinwalla, ST

Oval doesn’t work as concert venue

Dear Editor,

The noise level of the recent concert at the Oval was excessive and could be heard way beyond the Oval area. It is deplorable that the management was dismissive of residents’ complaints claiming that “everybody” liked it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Why do we need concerts at all?

Those of us who like this type of music can go to a rock concert and those who like more traditional or classical music can go to a place where such music is performed.  Why do a great many people have to be inconvenienced?  This is a nuisance rather than an amenity.

Name withheld,
451 East 14th Street

Letter had good points on taxpayer money

Re: “How Israel benefits from U.S. interference,” letter, T&V, July 31

To the editor:

I must congratulate Mr. John Cappelletti for his brilliant analysis of “U.S. interference,” which is 100 percent correct.

His $123 billion to Israel military did not include our aid to Israel’s economy, which comes to at least $100 million, times 66 years, which equals $6.6 billion. $123 plus $6.6 equals $129.6 billion. Now the $129.6 billion was U.S. of A’s taxpayers money, which could have greatly impacted U.S. of A’s economic development.

Also, Cappelletti stated that “(Jeannette) Shuck refers to the current administration as the ‘miserable and failing presidency.’” And Cappelletti completely destroys David Chowes’ “Hamas is the reason for Gaza bloodshed,” (letter, T&V, July 31) in which Chowes stated, “an excellent essay was offered by Ms. Jeanette Shuck in last week’s edition of T&V.” Chowes also stated that the right-wing narcissistic, paranoid, Goebbels propagandist David Brooks, who denigrates all of Obama’s administration, wrote a brilliant book, “The Social Animal” and that everyone should buy it. However, Brooks is a disciple of the right-wing neocons, Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Irving and William Kristol and Wolfowitz, Feith and Perle.

Louis Buffalano, ST

Attitudes towards Israel are hypocritical

There have now been three wars between Gaza and Israel in the past six years. If nothing is done to stop the protagonist – the Islamic resistance army more commonly known as Hamas – then the only certain future for the area is that there will be another war in the not too distant future.

While many world leaders recognize the necessity of eliminating Hamas – both for the benefit of Israel and for the Palestinian civilians who suffer negatively both directly and indirectly from the decisions made by Hamas – few have the foresight or vision  as to how to accomplish this task.

The Palestinian authority does not have the will or the capability to eradicate Hamas. The Arabs cannot be trusted to do it – with the possible exception of Egypt, which has been destroying terror tunnels in Gaza, enforces the necessary blockade to stop terror supplies reaching Hamas, and has thwarted an Islamic suicide bomber terror attack and rocket attacks aimed at Israeli civilians in the past month.  Israel has the capability to get rid of Hamas, but the world accuses Israel of being too brutal in doing it.

The western countries that could do it know full well that if they were to do it that they would behave as “brutally” as they accuse Israel of in the face of Islamic terrorists using civilian human shields, and they would have to come to terms  with their hypocritical stance towards Israel.

While it is, sadly, abundantly clear that the world is not actually prepared to do what is needed to stop the conflict reoccurring, the western world does have some control. Funds given to the Palestinians should be strictly controlled.

Without funds the terror trade of Hamas will die, even though the ideology of course will not.  Perhaps this is the best solution that the western would is prepared to fathom for now.

Michelle Moshelian
Hana Senesh 5
Givatayim, Israel

A building under construction outside the Avenue C Loop (Photo by Sabina Mollot)

Along with work on the old Stuyvesant Town management office to turn it into the new home for daycare center The Manhattan Kids Club, CWCapital’s also been building new apartments in the Avenue C building that was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy, and patios are also currently being built. A spokesperson for CWCapital confirmed that the patios were currently under construction but said more details wouldn’t be revealed until they’re completed. Demolition work has also been getting done to install air conditioners under the windows rather than in them, which should provide better views. According to CWCapital spokesperson Brian Moriarty, the tenants in those apartments will pay the same A.C. surcharges as other tenants.