The IndypendenT #242: JAnUARy 2019 • IndypendenT.ORG TenAnTS UnITe p4 BRAZIL On edGe p16 2018 BeST ALBUMS p18 GeAR Up FOR The GReen neW deAL ALeXAndRIA OCASIO-CORTeZ & The pLAn TO ChAnGe eVeRyThInG By peTeR RUGh, p12 RUSTY ZIMMERMAN 2 EDITOR’S COMMUNITY CALENDAR NOTE The IndypendenT THE INDYPENDENT, INC. 388 Atlantic Avenue, 2nd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11217 212-904-1282 www.indypendent.org Twitter: @TheIndypendent facebook.com/TheIndypendent BOARD OF DIRECTORS: THU DEC 20 which stages a free, all-ages Ellen Davidson, Anna Gold, 5:30PM–7PM • FREE DIY music festival every Alina Mogilyanskaya, Ann FORUM: CIVIL RIGHTS summer. Schneider, John Tarleton TOWN HALL SUNNYVALE Join community members 1031 Grand St., Bklyn EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: For journalists, it’s the worst of times. And it’s the best committed to protecting and John Tarleton of times. expanding civil rights and JAN 4–JAN 12 ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Journalism as an industry has been in dire straits for years. ending the scourge of mass times vary • $15–$55 Peter Rugh That’s hardly news. incarceration at this town MUSIC: WINTER JAZZ FEST And Donald Trump’s war on the media and the truth is not hall hosted by VOCAL NY. A hotbed of cultural discov- CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: as novel as it seems. Lyndon Johnson lied us into Vietnam. PACIFIC BRANCH LIBRARY ery, presenting new and Ellen Davidson, Alina Richard Nixon placed journalists on his “enemies list.” 25 4th Ave., Bklyn exciting sounds and scenes Mogilyanskaya, Nicholas Ronald Reagan worked diligently to control every image that throughout New York. The Powers, Steven Wishnia came out of his Hollywood presidency while George W. Bush THU DEC 20 music marathon that takes proclaimed “Mission Accomplished” from an aircraft carrier 7:30PM–11:30PM •$3–$10 place during the festival’s ILLUSTRATION DIRECTOR: just as the U.S. occupation of Iraq began to implode. CEREMONY: BURNING OF Friday and Saturday nights Frank Reynoso Still, we fi nd ourselves in a uniquely toxic moment where GRIEVANCES gives audiences full access not only are journalists and what they do under attack as Reduce your 2018 anxiet- to all participating venues DESIGN DIRECTOR: Mikael Tarkela never before, but so is our society’s collective sense of reality ies and bogeymen to a pile from early evening deep into and the idea of solid facts, our building blocks for under- of smoldering ashes at this the wee hours. This year’s DESIGNERS: standing and interpreting the world and possibly changing it brass-band-tastic, mask- headliners include Gary Leia Doran, Anna Gold for the better. wearing, parasol-twirling Bartz, Pharoah Sanders, It’s also an amazing time to be doing journalism. The burning of grievances. Fey Victor, Marc Ribot and DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR: stakes have never seemed higher. The issues more urgent. The Gather at a secret location The Bad Plus. Visit winter- Elia Gran future direction of the country more up for grabs. in DUMBO, board the NYC jazzfest.com for a full sched- Will we fully embrace being a diverse rainbow nation where Ferry, march through Wil- ule and a list of participating INTERN everyone’s basic needs are met, including the need to be re- liamsburg, and ride an under- venues. Chelsey Sanchez spected for who you are, where politics no longer caters to the ground chariot through the whims of the 1 percent and immense challenges like revers- bones of Brooklyn to an ef- SAT JAN 5 GENERAL INQUIRIES: ing climate change are fully addressed? Or will a resentful 2PM–4PM • FREE [email protected] ing climate change are fully addressed? Or will a resentful fi gy burning near the Halsey minority successfully assert their vision of a white nationalist L stop — all while accompa- SCREENING: THE UNTOLD SUBMISSIONS & NEWS TIPS: ethno-state with liberty and justice for the few? nied by a bacchanalian brass HISTORY OF THE UNITED [email protected] More people have taken to the streets to protest in the past band. Visit withfriends.co/ STATES two years than at any time in American history, according to shadow_traffi c to learn more The Vito Marcantonio Forum ADVERTISING & PROMOTION: social movement historian L.A. Kauffman. Voter turnout in and RSVP. will show “The Vietnam [email protected] the recently completed midterms was the highest in more than DUMBO, Bklyn War,” Chapter 4 of the Oliver half a century. Stone mini-series. Discus- VOLUNTEER CONTRIBUTORS: Here at The Indy we’ve risen to the occasion. We’ve been SUN DEC 23 sion to follow. Linda Martín Alcoff, Sam on the frontlines covering the stories that matter the most 4:30PM–6PM • $15–$50 MULBERRY STREET LIBRARY Alcoff, Charlyne Alexis, Gino from the Women’s March and #MeToo to the struggle to THEATER: STORIES OF 10 Jersey St., Mnhtn Barzizza, Bennett Baumer, defend immigrant families and communities to the stunning JACKSON HEIGHTS Allison Bellucci, Yousef SAT JAN 5 Oussama Bounab, Valerio rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom we featured on our A play focused on an undoc- Ciriaci, Rico Cleffi , Anne cover this past spring when no other publication in this city umented, Bangladeshi family 8:30PM • $25 Derenne, Federico di Pasqua, even bothered to take note of her insurgent campaign. living in Jackson Heights. DANCE: THE DANCE CARTEL Renée Feltz, Lynne Foster, Our circulation has tripled to 45,000 in the past two years. QUEENS THEATRE — ONTHEFLOOR Esteban Guerra, Lauren Kaori You can fi nd our bright red and white outdoor news boxes 14 United Nations Ave. S., Driven by pumping bass, Gurley, David Hollenbach, across the city. It’s 2018 and we also have a snappy new web- Queens glitter and dance theory in Gena Hymowech, Manvi site, are producing podcasts and short videos and now have a near-equal parts, the Dance Jalan, Gary Martin, Lydia weekly Monday evening news show on WBAI-99.5 FM. FRI JAN 4 Cartel’s ONTHEFLOOR is a McMullen-Laird, Charina We love what we do. For more about our annual winter 7:30PM–Midnight • $10, in 90-minute, energy-busting Nadura, Farid Nassif, fund drive, see pages 23-24. With your support we look for- advance, $12–$15 at the door experience that fuses high- Alex O’Brien Nicoll, Brady ward to doing more great work in 2019. MUSIC: PUNK ISLAND NEW octane choreography with a O’Callahan, Donald Paneth, YEAR’S SHOW party vibe. Dean Patterson, Mark Read, Reverend Billy, Erin Sheridan, — John Tarleton Start the new year right with PUBLIC ARTS Steven Sherman, Apoorva SOUL GLO and All Torn Up at 215 Chrystie St., Mnhtn Tadepalli, Naomi Ushiyama, this benefi t for Punk Island, and Amy Wolf. VOLUNTEER DISTRIBUTORS: Erik Anders-Nilssen, Eric Brelsford, Chris & Pam Brown, Hank Dombrowski, January 2019 Joseph Epstein, Ed Fanning, Kim Frazcek, Lew Friedman, Mindy Gershon, Tami Gold, Allan Greenberg, Priscilla AdVeRTISe In The Indy Grim, Zack Kelaty, Michael UnIQUe AUdIenCe • AFFORdABLe RATeS • peRSOnAL ATTenTIOn Korn, Jane LaTour, Dave FOR MORe InFORMATIOn, eMAIL [email protected] OR CALL 212-904-1282 Lippman, Ashley Marinaccio, Saul Nieves, Caroline Rath, The IndypendenT Liam Reilly, and Carol Smith. The IndypendenT 3 COMMUNITY CALENDAR deC/JAn IN THIS ISSUE JAN 10–JAN 15 SUN JAN 20 Times vary • $15–$20 10AM–8PM • FREE FILM: 1ST IRANIAN FILM FESTI- CONFERENCE: YIDDISH ANAR- BULLIVANT NATHAN VAL NEW YORK CHISM: NEW SCHOLARSHIP ON nOW IS The TIMe, p4 A selection of acclaimed and A FORGOTTEN TRADITION Will the Democratic takeover award-winning fi lms from one of Despite the importance of Yiddish of the state Senate lead to an the world’s most vital and distin- anarchism to the histories of overhaul of NY’s rent laws in guished national cinemas. The both the U.S. left and the Jewish 2019? Or will big money have festival aims to unite two strands community, it has been largely its way again? of Iranian moviemaking – the forgotten. This conference, the classic art-house Iranian cinema fi rst of its kind, brings together an BRIeFInG ROOM, p7 beloved by cinephiles around interdisciplinary group of scholars Toxins, drones, landlords, killer the world, and new cutting-edge whose multilingual research cops — welcome to the jungle. works that showcase the adven- examines the origin, evolution turousness and daring nature of and contributions of Jewish TheRe GOeS The younger Iranian directors. Visit ir- anarchism in New York City and neIGhBORhOOd, p8 fi lmfestny.com for a full program. beyond. The Indy bids adieu to a long- IFC CENTER YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH standing Boerum Hill haunt. 323 Sixth Ave., Mnhtn RESEARCH 15 W 16th St., Mnhtn WAy OFF TRACK, p10 SAT JAN 12 The 2nd Ave. subway extension 1PM–5PM • $15–$50 JAN 25–JAN 26 BE BLOWN MADDY TALIAS isn’t a train line, it’s a money pit. MUSIC: ROCK N’ ROE FRI 7PM, SAT 3PM • $22–$40 AWAY: From Miles With the appointment of Judge MUSIC: BLACK FLAGS OVER Davis to Art Blakey, MAKInG AMeRICA GReen Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme BROOKLYN sax-man Gary Bartz AGAIn, p12 Court, Roe v. Wade and access to A two-day, anti-fascist extreme has jammed with the The fi ght for New Deal 2.0. sexual and reproductive health metal festival featuring a vendor best. He’s among the care, including abortion, are in market with band merch, radical headliners at the Winter dAWn OF The yeLLOW VeSTS, jeopardy. Join Move Forward publishers, activist organizations, Jazz Fest this January. p15 Staten Island for a community local artisans and more. Workaday activists are injecting benefi t concert to support both BROOKLYN BAZAAR a fresh sense of liberty, equality Move Forward Staten Island and 150 Greenpoint Ave., Bklyn FEEL THE and fraternity into France.