INSIDE BROOKLYN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER Including The Downtown News, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Paper and Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Paper Keeping history alive Published weekly by Brooklyn Paper Publications at 26 Court St., Brooklyn, NY 11242 Phone 718-834-9350 © Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages including GO BROOKLYN • Vol.26, No. 33 BWN • August 18, 2003 • FREE Family: Cops THUMBS attacked us DOWN Police bitten in July 4 melee UA crowds hurting By Patrick Gallahue ed on trumped up charges and other officers from his Court St eateries The Brooklyn Papers of assault. Police say six precinct rolled up to their Members of a Sunset officers were injured in the home on 47th Street at Fifth By Patrick Gallahue Avenue at around 10 pm on Park family say they were altercation, three with bite The Brooklyn Papers July 4. roughed up outside their wounds. Police say the officers had The United Artists Court Street cinema fare of “Gigli” home by police officers According to 62-year-old been responding to a report of and “Bad Boys II” is warding people off — but not from from the 72nd Precinct — Margarita Acosta, Capt. Do- fireworks going off but wound those movies’ awful reviews. Instead, area bistros, whose including the commanding minic Gentile, commanding up approaching the Acostas patrons are wary of the unruly crowds that congregate in officer — and then arrest- officer of the 72nd Precinct, about the noise from the radio. front of the multiplex each weekend, are taking the hit, say Police say they simply turned some local restaurateurs. off the radio, leading to an ar- Grappa Cafe, on the corner of Court and State streets, closed its gument that turned physical. doors on Sunday with the intention of reinventing itself by Aug. 25 Five members of the family as a faster, cheaper version of its elegant, well-reviewed restaurant. were arrested and four — Mar- Owner Rob Caravello said it was a combination of the slug- Rob doomed garita Acosta, her son Jose gish economy, lack of neighborhood parking due to the loss of Acosta, 38, daughter Elena the Court-Atlantic municipal garage, and a dip in his bar business Acosta, 35, and grandson Edgar from the smoking ban that led him to recreate the restaurant, but Macy’s of 37G Acosta, 16 — were charged many of Court Street’s other sit-down establishments blame the with felony assault, resisting ar- theater’s down-the-block lines and often disorderly crowds for rest and obstruction of justice. The Brooklyn Papers keeping their patrons. Margarita’s other daughter, The parking garage, on Court Street between State Street and Police are investigating whether this weekend’s Marisol Acosta, 39, was also ar- Callan / Tom Atlantic Avenue, closed around Memorial Day and has been de- stickup of the Macy’s store at Atlantic Center was rested but was not charged. molished. It will be replaced by a 12-story building, with ground- an inside job. According to police reports, floor retail, about 600 underground, public parking spaces and While they are also investigating other leads, law en- when Gentile asked that they 250 apartments on the second through 12th floors. A 40,000- forcement sources told The Brooklyn Papers that the pair turn down the music Elena square-foot YMCA is also part of the proposal with an entrance of armed thieves may have had information on how much Acosta jumped on him. Another on Atlantic Avenue. cash was on hand at the time of the robbery. officer claims she kicked him. Papers File The Brooklyn That will likely help rejuvenate the strip of Court Street — but At around 10:20 am, on Aug. 9, two masked men with Police charge that during not for at least two years. guns entered the soon-to-be-closed Macy’s at 625 Atlantic the melee Edgar Acosta Nando Ghorchian, owner of the Acqua Italian diner, on Court Ave. off South Elliot Place. They pistol-whipped a securi- punched one of the officers Street between State and Schermerhorn streets, said he has a thriving ty guard and then raided the store’s safe of about $37,000, and Jose Acosta struck and bit Towers to shine brunch and lunchtime crowd that goes quiet when the theater peaks. police said. police to thwart Elena’s arrest. “It doesn’t really help,” Ghorchian said of the 12-screen cine- The guard was treated at the Brooklyn Hospital Center The “Tribute in Light,” shown last year, will light up the night again this year and See CONFRONTATION page 4 every year, on the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, the mayor announced this week. See THUMBS on page 9 See MACY’S on page 9 Tenants want to buy ‘Candy’ By Patrick Gallahue Karen Zebulon, co-chairwoman Carol Abrams, a spokeswoman The Brooklyn Papers of the tenants advisory council at for HPD, said the agency is con- 20 Henry St. “But we’re hoping tinuing its efforts to obtain federal Residents of 20 Henry St. in the future he will be.” rent subsidies, commonly known have enlisted the help of two Under the latest plan, the Com- as “sticky vouchers,” from HUD, well-known financing and munity Development Trust and to help tenants relocate or possi- investment agencies in the Community Preservation Corpora- bly afford market rent in the hopes of buying back their tion would purchase the building building. homes. on behalf of the tenants in order to The urgency to keep tenants in Tenants of the building, also keep the building affordable. the building is increasing because know as the Candy Factory, have On July 30, Borough President residents were notified by Penson been working with the Communi- Marty Markowitz hosted a meet- on June 30, that the building will ty Preservation Corporation, a pri- ing at Borough Hall with Rep. be vacated as leases expire, and no Nydia Velazquez, Assemblywom- current tenants will be allowed to / Greg Mango / Greg vate mortgage lender specializing in the financing of low-, moder- an Joan Millman and representa- remain, even if they can afford the ate- and middle-income housing, tives from the offices of state Sen. impending rent hikes. and the Community Development Martin Connor and Councilman Residents are now facing an Trust, a real estate investment trust David Yassky. even more daunting task with founded with the goal of preserv- Velazquez convened the meet- word circulating that the landlord The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn ing and increasing affordable ing and a spokeswoman, Kate has entered into private negotia- Children participate in a relay race during the Unity Task Force picnic at housing. Davis, said it was intended to dis- See FACTORY on page 9 Owl’s Head Park in Bay Ridge Sunday. The building, whose nickname cuss ways to apply pressure to the comes from a past life as the city’s Department of Housing Peaks Mason Mints candy plant, Preservation and Development INSIDE THE PAPER had been affordable, Mitchell- (HPD) and the U.S. Department / Tom Callan / Tom Classifieds . GO 7-8 and page 5 Anti-Arab feelings Lama rental units until this year, of Housing and Urban Develop- Cyclones . back page when owner Edward Penson ment (HUD) to come to the ten- Ed Weintrob . page 4 bought his way out of the federal ants’ aid. Home Improvement . GO 7 program. Residents of the building argue GO Brooklyn 8 pages . after page 4 “Discussion [to buy the build- that they are the first Mitchell- Health, Mind & Body . page 8 ing] was attempted but right now Lama building to come out of the Papers The Brooklyn Parent . page 6 surface in Ridge Police Blotter . page 2 [landlord Edward] Penson is not program without any assistance Tenants living in 20 Henry St. — also known as the “Candy Fac- Real Estate . GO 8 By Jotham Sederstrom uninitiated. Still, business has fluctuat- really open to discussions,” said from the city, Zebulon said. tory” — want to buy the building. for The Brooklyn Papers ed, he said, because many of his cus- tomers have moved from New York. One needn’t look further than “It used to be very popular here, but Mike’s Place to see change is business is down,” said Eli, who predict- afoot in Bay Ridge. ed the nighttime fare wouldn’t last much Although the Third Avenue diner longer. “There were a lot of Arab people first opened in 1982, serving over- here and Middle Eastern people. It used Brooklyn defeat saved the nation stuffed sandwiches and breakfast plat- to be very popular, but a lot of them ters, its menu expanded two years ago have left Bay Ridge, left New York.” By Paulanne Simmons Brooklyn’s historic role in the Revolution. across the Gowanus Creek and then escape nouncing the commemorative events this to include traditional Middle Eastern Although data isn’t available that The Brooklyn Papers Of course, back in 1776, the building across the East River. week. food during evening hours, a reflec- would confirm Arab-Americans leav- was called the Cortelyou House. It had The Marylanders lost more than 250 men, Peter Joseph, vice chairman of the board Historians call it the Battle of Long Is- tion of the neighborhood’s ever-grow- ing the area, Monica Tarazi, the New been built by the Vechte family and later but their bravery in the face of such over- of directors of the Old Stone House, ex- land. But we know it’s really the Battle of ing Arab-American community. York director of the American-Arab purchased, along with farmland, by the whelming odds ensured that America’s first plained why the battle has been mostly for- Brooklyn — the first and most crucial bat- Reda Eli, a night manager, said the Anti-Discrimination Committee, said Cortelyous.