Yo u r Neighborhood — Yo u r News® BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2014 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn, Williamsburg & Greenpoint AWP/18 pages • Vol. 37, No. 46 • November 14–20, 2014 • FREE VICE VERSUS CIRCUS City evicts Williamsburg acrobats who narced on hipster media company By Danielle Furfaro Vice’s contractors. The Brooklyn Paper “I do not know how we are going to A circus school’s bid to get back at continue operating here,” she said. “We incoming upstairs neighbor Vice Me- feel we are in danger.” dia for allegedly dangerous construc- Partial eviction or no, the school is the tion work backfired dramatically on latest casualty of Vice’s arrival at Kent Nov. 6 when the city, called to inspect Avenue and S. First Street, following Vice, kicked out a half-dozen acrobats announcements of the imminent shut- living illegally in the non-residential tering of indie music venues Death by Photos by Stefano Giovannini building. Audio and Glasslands . The mass exodus The contested building is at S. The circus school the Muse is the lat- is the result of a deal struck with build- First Street and Kent Avenue. est artistic institution getting the boot ing owner CTA Digital to boot current ahead of Vice’s takeover of two con- tenants to make room for Vice, through negotiations and by refusing to renew tain a newly formed community of nected buildings at Kent Avenue and acrobats, aerialists, and tumblers, she S. First Street. The performers are sup- the leases, Gawker and the Commer- said. The building owner originally al- posed to move out by January. In the cial Observer reported . lowed all tenants to live in the build- meantime, they have gone on rent strike One Muse teacher said the upheaval over supposed falling debris caused by is just one example of Williamsburg ing, she said. renovation work, which is making way becoming a no-mans-land for creative “In the beginning, every single person for the hipster media juggernaut’s New types. in this complex was living and work- Years move-in . “It demonstrates the bigger pictures of ing in here, because that is how the The conflict came to a head when bigger corporations pushing out smaller landlord presented it,” she said. “They building inspectors, summoned by the corporations,” said aerial instructor Di- eventually started telling people they school’s owner to scrutinize Vice, took ane Tomasi. “Rents are astronomical could not live there and started boot- a look beyond the trapezes and spotted and artists cannot make it.” ing people out.” illegal living units built in the ware- For now, the Muse is keeping its The space is part school and part house space. $10,000 monthly rent in escrow, Buc- performance venue. Buccinni Butch The show can go on, but the six artists cinni Butch said. The school had been is devastated that she has to leave the in residence cannot stay, said the owner, negotiating with the CTA Digital in an home her group has been working on who shrugged off the clampdown. attempt to cancel the lease early, but for the past four years. “We are still allowed to run and now she is hoping Vice will pay her “For a while, I could not walk around have classes, but we cannot be in the group to leave. the space without tears in my eyes,” back,” said Muse founder Angela Buc- She said she quoted the media com- said Buccinni Butch. “This place was cinni Butch. “I am fine that they shut pany a figure to cover reimbursing stu- trashed when we took it over, and we us down, because everyone has to be dents their tuition, canceled contracts, made it something beautiful.” safe.” and moving costs. She doesn’t want to The Muse is planning to move to a The people living there were all take the landlords to court, though a law- new space in Bushwick and has launched staying temporarily, Buccinni Butch Teacher Diane Tomasi spots suit would have merit, she added. a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds said. Davon Chance as he tries an aeri- Plus! Dance school “I could sue them, but that is not my for the many renovations the building The big-top personality had previ- al position at the Muse, the circus Changing interest,” Buccinni Butch said. needs. ously said that she was contemplating school that is leaving its S. First booted for condos The Muse opened at 32 S. First Street Representatives of Vice Media and an early closure because of the sup- Street home to make way for Vice Brooklyn SEE PAGE 3 in 2010 after Buccinni Butch’s Bush- CTA Digital did not return calls for posed hazards of practicing beneath Media — but not without a fight. wick backyard grew too large to con- comment. Hands off my boardwalk! Locals cringe at news that private group may control Coney events By Max Jaeger “We’re considering a lot of different The Brooklyn Paper elements,” said spokeswoman Mae Fer- The city may be about to cede con- guson, adding the parks department has trol of the Coney Island Boardwalk to not set a date to issue the request. a private group. But critics say privatizing the per- The parks department, which controls mitting process could make the Peo- ple’s Playground too exclusive. the neighborhood’s iconic Riegelmann “If [outside groups] take over, this is Boardwalk, is drawing up plans that looking to me like ‘bring in the white would let an outside group take over all rich,’ ” said Brighton Beach resident Ve- event permitting — and possibly more ronica Grimm, who has been dancing — for the 91-year-old public space, ac- on the Boardwalk with various groups cording to sources. for almost a decade, which requires a The news has outraged locals and permit. park advocates, who say the plan is a Locals suspect the city’s request for recipe for pushing the people out of the proposals will be a sweetheart deal for People’s Playground. the Alliance for Coney Island, an um- “This is not just a park someplace. brella organization of businesses. This is the iconic Coney Island Board- Photo by Paul Martinka “These RFPs are usually a self-fulfill- walk, and I don’t think that a private en- The Mermaid Parade is the biggest event held on the Boardwalk. ing prophecy,” Sanoff said. “Anybody tity should be in control of what happens can answer one, but my experience is Photo by Elizabeth Graham there,” said local activist Ida Sanoff. in charge of who can and cannot use an A parks department spokeswoman that, before the RFP, the city knows who Brighton Beach dancer Veronica Grimm is worried that the possible “All over the city we have ‘friends of area. Isn’t this the job of the parks de- confirmed the city is creating a call for they’re going to award them to.” privatization of permitting on the Coney Island Boardwalk could jack this park,’ ‘friends of that park,’ and partment? Why do we need a private bids that would affect the Boardwalk, One member Alliance member said up the cost of throwing events there. while they’re involved, they’re not put entity doing that?” but was short on details. See CONEY on page 14 THE FUTURE OF FOOD DELIVERY? Pie in the sky This pizzeria delivers by drone By Noah Hurowitz arms next door. The Brooklyn Paper There are some kinks to work It was one small step for pizza, out before large-scale drone deliv- and one giant leap for pizza de- ery becomes a reality. The first de- livery. livery flight of the evening ended The mad genius behind Wil- in tragedy when the unmanned de- liamsburg Pizza made history on vice crashed, losing its precious Nov. 6 when he launched pizza de- cargo in the process, according livery into the drone age with a to a New York Post report . And of course, drone flight is a legal test drop-off by remote-controlled gray area, and piloting the devices helicopter. The customer whose in busy areas in New York car- yard served as a landing pad for the ries potential legal penalties . But pie and its daring delivery mech- Williamsburg Pizza, undeterred anism said the pilot program is by such terrestrial concerns, is of- ready for takeoff. fering a drone delivery option on “It was a really fun experience, its website (punching in an order and delicious pizza,” said Phyl- this way gets you a lengthy dis- lis Brody, a neighbor of the pizza claimer full of caveats that make it shop’s owner, Charles Walters, in unclear if or when your pie might Prospect Heights. take to the sky). Whenever the Like the Wright brothers’ in- kinks get worked out, Brody is (Clockwise from top left) Pizza chef Aurel Xhepexhiu cuts augural 12-second flight at Kitty ready to receive her pepperonis up a hot pie. A pizza-laden delivery drone descends from a Hawk 111 years prior, the pizza’s from on high. building with its precious cargo. Phyllis Brody, recipient of history-making trip was short, “I would definitely get my pizza Photo by Paul Martinka the inaugural drone delivery, accepts the package. Brody from the top of Walters’ four-story delivered by drones once it’s per- Maxwell Cohn, right, pilots the pizza delivery drone as Bruce Besse, center, and Williams- enjoys a slice of the future — now! home into Brody’s outstretched fected,” she said. burg Pizza owner Charles Walters stand by. 2 AWP The Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 November 14–20, 2014 North Shore-LIJ CareConnect Insurance Company, Inc.