The Voice of the West Village WestView News VOLUME 14, NUMBER 6 JUNE 2018 $1.00 Sounds of the Great Religions By George Capsis ate—"Papadopoulos" which means “son of the father, or more accurately, son of the The dramatic, almost theatrical interior priest, for as you know, Greek priests can space of St. Veronica invites imaginative and do marry). uses and we came up with The Sounds A very young looking Panteleimon came of the Great Religions, a survey of great down for lunch in the garden and shortly it musical moments from the world’s great was like talking to a relative. That is what religions. is great about being Greek—it is really one Having been exposed to the Greek Or- big family. thodox church (my father was Greek, my I casually mentioned how long I thought mother a Lutheran German), I knew how the presentation should be and he snapped dramatic it could be so I called Archdea- "no, no, that's too long. Yah gotta make it con Panteleimon Papadopoulos who is in shorter.” charge of music at the Archdiocese. We were hours away from sending to the Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos A HUNDRED VOICES ECHO A THOUSAND YEARS: The Musical Director of the Greek Orthodox printer when I asked if he could send some (yes I know Greek names are a bit much Church offered its choir to celebrate the great moments in Orthodox history for the Sounds of thoughts about the presentation and here but in this case the last name is appropri- the Great Religions program at St. Veronica. Photo credit: © GANP/Dimitrios Panagos. is what he sent. continued on page 4 New Models for Senior Share Larcenous Landlords Use Living in the Village the Law to Oust Tenants By The Compassionate Caregiver taught me that every elder needs an advo- By George Capsis rent regulated apartments into a vein of cate and supporter; doing this for a non- gold that can be easily mined with a few What if we all could have the opportunity relative has been a revelation. I have creat- Oh wow. On March 22nd the Times did a sheets of undecipherable legal papers and to live the last years of our lives in peace, ed a structure for care and companionship massive article (like 4 pages) on the emerg- an out-to-lunch bureaucracy. comfort and tranquility, and to die sur- for my roommate. He has given me a place ing breed of amoral landlords that use rent The Times cites youngish Meyer Or- rounded by loved ones in a safe and famil- to stay. regulations and an indifferent overworked bach, who bought 22 tenements on 109th iar place? George Capsis wrote about senior-share bureaucracy to oust rent regulated tenants. Street near Columbia, and in just seven Soon there will be more seniors on the apartments in a recent issue of WestView Most tenants get hooked by failing to years got rid of two thirds of the rent stabi- planet than there ever have ever been in his- News. The active caregiving community pay their rent but a new breed of heart- lized tenants. In their place, he put Colum- tory. Care for the elderly is unprecedented connected to the newspaper is evidence less, larcenous landlords, might simply not bia students with affluent parents. in scope and volume. Many of us will live that concerns about this topic are part of cash the tenant’s rent check. Then they get As I started to write this, word came that past the age of 85, more than half of whom the consciousness of those who live in the slammed with a notice of eviction without our own legally larcenous landlord Steve will have some form of dementia. Elders neighborhood. the ability to pay for a lawyer or, in some Croman is getting out of the Tombs prison with homes can offer accommodations to There are no nursing homes, assisted-living cases, the language ability to find and then two months early, for good behavior, and people from younger generations, thereby facilities or hospitals in the immediate vicin- protest to the appropriate city agency be- his wife is planning a mega blowout in creating situations that effectively expand ity. There are only two assisted living facilities fore the Marshal bangs on the door. Greece to celebrate! He was sentenced to eldercare. We can empower our communi- in New York County that accept Medicaid. The election promise of de Blasio was one year for offering the banks (as security ties by formalizing such arrangements. One has a months-long waitlist and the other (and probably still is) to make 200,000 af- for a loan) to buy yet another tenement. I live in the Village with a 98-year-old has only 80 beds. Longtime Village residents fordable apartments available, but the re- Now, you or I would have served our time man, a Medicaid recipient and local resi- have been driven away by new residents who cent increase in population and affluence in hell-hole Rikers, but somehow, Croman dent for decades. Taking care of my father continued on page 19 has accelerated the demand and has made continued on page 5 Superbird! Chelsea Hotel Washington Square Heed Keith Michael’s Bruce Poli and Brian Pape Music Festival warning: rare birds can lure examine the powerful forces you into the clutches of a shaping this historic landmark: Join us for the first new obsession. art, history and greed. performance of the season Tuesday, June 5 — 8 pm SEE PAGE 16 SEE PAGE 25 Washington Square Park 2 WestView News June 2018 www.westviewnews.org WestView WestViews Published by WestView, Inc. by and for the residents of the West Village. Correspondence, Commentary, Corrections Publisher A Thank You to George It made me think how all true artists — she lived in the Village and cooked her own Executive Editor Dear Mr. Capsis, like all those who live to serve—though they meals! It was more appropriate to George Capsis People I wrote to you last in December/January are often unable to make a living, are never (magazine) than WestView News. Managing Editor regarding the gentrification of the West driven (or satisfied) by money. They take joy Please get in touch with Arthur and get a Katie Keith Village via new developments like the one in giving their art to those thrilled to receive copy of his real article. You know, the one that Associate Editor Andrew Buemi on Leroy Street. I wrote, sadly, about the it. However, money now monopolizes our deals with maybe some political issues and fact that the Village is fast becoming unaf- society and its institutions to their terrify- not this fakakta one (Arthur knows what this Production Manager Designer fordable for most old-time residents of the ing end, so “putting a price” on everything is word means). I look forward to reading it. Kim Plosia Village. expected; and only those who can or wish to —Alec Pruchnicki Advertising Manager I now write to you to “thank you” for pay such price can partake of any offering. Stephanie Phelan your efforts to “save” St. Veronica. Here’s Think of the chill—and draining of emo- Not a Pretty Picture Photo Editor my thank you… tion—that barrier automatically establishes. Darielle Smolian Glorious music by a trio of women solo- Every beauty is encased in cellophane that ists supported by a professional orchestra says: Don’t touch! Unless you pay. Traffic Manager Liza Whiting in the stained glass cathedral of St. Veron- Then think of the joy that occurs when ica—and all for free; what a wonderful cel- something you discover has transcendent Photographers ebration of Earth Day! Thank you George power and beauty to move whoever hears Maggie Berkvist Joel Gordon Capsis and WestView News. it is being offered freely into the air we —Siggy Raible, Greenwich Village breathe. Comptroller It inspires us—with the possibility that Jolanta Meckauskaite we may live in joy if only we lift our hearts Architecture Editor Music! Free As to give and to share. Brian Pape The Air We Breathe I did, however, donate online. Film, Media and Music Editor With thanks and love, Karen Unde Jim Fouratt Dear George: You may understand—by the comment I Food Editor Where’s the Real Story? David Porat made at St. Veronica—why I’d be ambiva- lent about how to fund concerts there and To the Editors: Distribution Manager what sort of music to offer. Because the There appears to have been a breach in A TOTAL EYESORE TO THE COMMUNITY: The Church of the Village, above, encased Timothy Jambeck purity of emotion generated by that cham- security, and a major article WestView News in scaffolding. Photo by Darielle Smolian. Regular Contributors ber, by what happened, under those precise was hijacked and replaced with another. I Barry Benepe, Caroline Benveniste, circumstances (in Dec. & May—we missed was looking forward to reading the article Dear Mr Capsis, Charles Caruso, Jim Fouratt, others), was so intense and uplifting that by Arthur Schwartz in support of Cynthia For decades, I have resided in the West Vil- John Gilman, Mark. M. Green, Robert Heide, Thomas Lamia, Keith Michael, I’d hesitate to alter them. I love many kinds Nixon, which would explain her political lage and was blessed to have called St. Vin- Michael D. Minichiello, Brian J. Pape, of music, but… history and proposals for her fight with cent’s my employer for three decades. During Joy Pape, Alec Pruchnicki, Christina “True transcendence.” That’s what the Governor Cuomo.