Obscene Graffiti Scars Village
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The Voice of the West Village WestView News VOLUME 16, NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER 2020 $2.00 Obscene Graffiti Scars Village By George Capsis In 1917 the City ruthlessly cut through the handsome historic townhouses of the Vil- lage to run the 7th Avenue subway through it and left ugly towering blackened back- yard raw brick walls. A few months ago, after the Black Lives Matter incident, huge crude nonsensical graffiti messages ap- peared like "MAGIC TRICK" with the R in Trick painted upside down and an un- readable telephone number. The graffiti is all of a comic book style and angry—very angry—ugly and crude and huge. Huge with in-your-face con- tempt and anger. I called the Police Press office, DCPI, to learn if they were aware of these slashing outbursts of obscene graffiti - were they city-wide or just concentrated in certain ar- eas like the Village, and had they identified any graffiti gangs, and if so where do these graffiti gangs hang out - Brooklyn, Man- hattan, or the Bronx, and literally minutes before we sent the file to the printer, I got a concerned call from the head of police press office's commanding officer Alfred Baker who knew of our publication, and THIS RESTAURANT ON BLEECKER near West Tenth Street is under remodeling HIGH ON AN INTERIOR LOT WALL, behind the storefronts was equally concerned, and promised to work and still has its plywood over the windows. We don’t know if the new owner of Seventh Avenue, near West Tenth Street, these graph- thoroughly investigate and report for the asked for the paint work. What is it spelling out? Perhaps a single artist did the ics showed up recently, obviously painted by hanging over December issue entire expanse we see, or perhaps a secondary painter “tagged” another ugly the roof parapet. Perhaps that explains the upside-down continued on page 2 message over the first work? Photo by Elizabeth Victoria Wisdom. letters? Photo by: Elizabeth Victoria Wisdom. Village Voters Show Enthusiasm, Patience, Hope in First Day of Early Voting By Bob Cooley hundreds who showed up to hand in their nervous at first that it would take like four In what leaders and many citizens have called absentee ballots in person. Overall 93,830 or five hours, but once the doors opened, “a fight for the soul of our nation,” West Vil- New Yorkers checked in for early voting on the line kept moving pretty quickly… for lagers and New Yorkers turned out in massive the first day. the most part everyone was polite and kept numbers during the initial day of first-ever Village resident Nicole DeFilippi, who socially distanced, and nobody was yell- early presidential voting in the City. showed up 30 minutes before the polls ing at anyone politically, which was a nice 1,211 West Village residents turned out opened at 10 am on Saturday with her change of pace.” to cast their early vote at the community mother, Lori, said her wait in line was 2 Of why she came out this Saturday to cast OVER 1200 WEST VILLAGERS came out on Oct. 24th for the first day of early voting at space of St. Anthony’s of Padua on Sul- ½ hours until they made it inside the poll- her vote early, “I’ll be working on Election St. Anthony’s of Padua on Sullivan Street. livan St., just one of the 88 early polling ing center. Of her experience in the line, Day, and wouldn’t be able to take off for a Photo by Bob Cooley. places across the five boroughs, along with she said, “Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. I was continued on page 7 A DEAR SANTA LETTER THAT Democracy Parade Memories CHANGED Looking to ancient Greek Remembering the first Village democracy in the 2020 Halloween Parade with CHRISTMAS election season. founder Ralph Lee. FOREVER SEESEE PAGE 15 15 SEE PAGE 8 SEE PAGE 21 2 WestView News November 2020 www.westviewnews.org WestView WestViews Published by WestView, Inc. by and for the residents of the Correspondence, Commentary, Corrections West Village. Publisher Google Excludes Xavier this has become a real Civil War finding a and exploding against Building One in a Executive Editor Mission's "Grab and Go" parking spot. fiery double punch. There is no doubt of George Capsis from Community Grants Oh and yes those two other factors—a these facts. Managing Editor and Art Director massive decade-long Citibike takeover of The conspiracy theorists live in a fan- Kim Plosia Through WestView, I wish to thank Xavier former parking spots and the new explosion tasy world in which they ask our readers Advertising Manager and Designer Mission at St. Francis Xavier Church on of orange cones—implying, but not neces- to embrace their beliefs that government Stephanie Phelan West 16th Street for nutritious "Grab and sarily actually meaning, work to take place. agents secretly planted bombs throughout Traffic Manager Go" brown bags distributed every Sunday How do we deal with all this mess?? the World Trade Center precisely timed Liza Whiting between 12:40 and 1:30 p.m. The volun- Overall it’s a symbol of New York City’s to explode simultaneously when the two Photo Editor teers are tireless and respectful. However, I challenge with diversity of transportation hijacked airliners struck. They ask us to Darielle Smolian wish to ask the recipients to be mindful of versus economic and social survival. And as believe that these agents knew just when the pandemic rages into the cold weather Photographers cleanliness and not to throw banana peels, the hijacking and crashes would take place Maggie Berkvist or even the bananas, on the ground. There and the specter of heated tents on the street while they waited patiently by their deto- Chris Manis, Bob Cooley are waste cans for that purpose. becomes real, what then? nators to kill themselves and the 3000 oth- Associate Editors Finally, Google Community Grants I’m not pretending to have an answer— er human victims. When did WestView be- Justin Matthews, Anne Olshansky funding has unfortunately excluded Xavier it’s an open question which I would love come a comic paper? What has happened Comptroller Mission from its funding sites. Readers, our politicians and readers to address. to the intelligence of its editorial staff? Jolanta Meckauskaite please write to Google and tell this giant — Bruce Poli —Barry Benepe Architecture Editor tech firm to support Xavier Mission, which Brian Pape is just a few blocks from its building on 8th Goodbye Will Bleecker Business Editor Avenue. Conspiracies! Stay Famous? Caroline Benveniste —Cecilia K. Gullas Fashion Director The September issue of WestView News Dear Editor, Karilyn Prisco Streetwise: devoted four full pages, more than any ex- Coming back from Trader Joe’s via Bleeck- Music and Eldercare Editor The Car / Restaurant / posé ever printed in WestView, to the pro- er Street, I noticed several angry an- Hannah Reimann motion of conspiracy theories to explain nouncements on some storefronts blaming Science and LGBTQ Editor Citibike / Orange Cone Wars the destruction of the entire World Trade the Governor and the Mayor for the per- Kambiz Shekdar, PhD We have a newly heightened conflict in Center on September 11, 2001. It is emi- manent closing of their respective stores. Regular Contributors NewYork City: nently clear, however, what led to the col- I agree with them. Bleecker Street is fa- J. Taylor Basker, Barry Benepe, Parking spots versus restaurant spaces. lapse of the twin towers and the following mous. But will it stay that way? What with Caroline Benveniste, John Gilman, No question that restaurants hold high fires which consumed Buildings 3, 4, 5, 6, the political situation, I believe that things Mark. M. Green, Robert Heide, esteem and critical value in our city, and the 7 and virtually all the buildings standing are only likely to get worse mere days after Bob Kroll, Thomas Lamia, Keith Michael, Michael D. Minichiello, Penny Mintz, West Village is among the greatest showcases at the World Trade Center. What caused the upcoming Election. After all, which Brian J. Pape, Joy Pape, Anthony Paradiso, of international restaurants in the world. this fiery calamity was the impact of two candidate is more likely to keep big cities, Roger Paradiso, Bruce Poli, We have class, we have diverse quality hijacked passenger jets. The first jet came including ours, safe? Will Bleecker Street Alec Pruchnicki, Christina Raccuia, cuisine and we have the wide neighbor- from the north and crashed into the top be boarded up permanently? Hannah Reimann, Karen Rempel, hood sidewalks to accommodate them in floors of the North Tower, Building One. Some readers have another or second Catherine Revland, Martica Sawin, Donna Schaper, Stanley Wlodyka a pandemic. It’s great to see life come back The second plane, a passenger jet com- homes to go to. And then there are the to Greenwich Village and New York with ing from the south laden with enormous others, including people like myself. Do I We endeavor to publish all letters received, the sidewalk restaurants everywhere... amounts of explosive fuel blasted into the sound somewhat concerned? including those with which we disagree. but I have a car...no don’t hate me... and South Tower, Building Two, slicing into —John F. Early, Charles Street The opinions put forth by contributors to WestView do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or editor. WestView welcomes your correspondence, continued from page 1 comments, and corrections: Historic Salmagundi Art Club on Fifth Avenue hosts Graffiti www.westviewnews.org 42nd Annual Open Exhibition November 9-20 What do you do about something Contact Us like this? So ugly, so huge, so unstop- (212) 924-5718 pable? [email protected] Well that is one reason why you have a community newspaper—first to show you this outrage, and then to VOTE get them to do something about it.