NOVEMBER 04 - NOVEMBER 10, 2015 • VOl. 16 • No. 44 washiNgtON hEights • Inwood • haRlEM • EAST HARlEM NORTHERN MANHATTAN’S BILINGUAL NEWSPAPER EL PERIODICO BILINGUE DEL NORTE DE MANHATTAN NOW EVERY WEDNESDAY TODOS LOS MIERCOLES On this last ridep9 Harry Ettling Aug. 1st, 1949 – En este último paseo p9 Aug. 11th, 2015 Photo: QPHOTONYC Rally p10 Dance p8 Anniversary p3 2 NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • MaNhattaN tiMEs • www.manhattantimesnews.com Toast of this town Story and photos by Gregg McQueen nsane. I Peter Walsh clearly remembers the reaction when he told others he planned to open a restaurant and pub in Washington Heights three decades ago. “People told us, ‘You’re crazy for opening a business there,’” Walsh recalled. “Nobody wanted to come up to this neighborhood [then] — it was the most dangerous in New York City.” When Walsh and business partner Dave Hunt built Coogan’s Restaurant out of four vacant stores in 1985, the odds seemed stacked against them, as Washington Heights was besieged by crime and drugs. Undeterred, the men were intent on running an oasis in the neighborhood, where patrons from any walk of life would feel welcomed. “A lot of establishments judge the customer And the conversation, often led by the New York City, historian Robert Snyder Walsh, a former musician and Army when they walk through the door,” said Hunt. affable Walsh, flows as freely as the beer acknowledged the multicultural atmosphere veteran, and Hunt, an Inwood native and “We make no pre-conceived judgements on and spirits. of Coogan’s, calling the restaurant at 169th ex-bartender, serve as the establishment’s anyone.” “We’ve always run a safe, joyful, Street and Broadway “one of the most gregarious greeters and public faces. For three decades, Coogan’s has been as conversational place,” stated Walsh. amiably integrated institutions in the city of A third partner, Tess McDade, works much a community center as a pub — a retreat “People would have disagreements, but it New York.” behind the scenes handling business matters. where people from all ethnicities can raise a always seemed more like a discussion and Snyder wrote, “Whoever you were, you After opening in 1985, Coogan’s soon glass, community events and film shoots are not an argument.” could find a place at the bar, a table for dinner, became a popular haunt for police officers In his book Crossing Broadway: staged, and leaders, elected officials and locals and a picture on the wall that reminded you of See COOGAn’S p14 together break bread. Washington Heights and the Promise of someone you knew.” NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • MaNhattaN tiMEs • www.manhattantimesnews.com 3 Seeking parity Advocates called for greater access to physical education. on play Story and photos by Mónica Barnkow afaela Vivaldo is not surprised Rher son keeps failing the test. He has not been able to pass the student fitness report issued annually by the city Department of Education (DOE). Vivaldo says she knows her son, now in the third grade, is not getting enough physical activity. His school is one of the most overcrowded in the city, and there is only one gym to serve the needs of its 2,000 students. “A lot of children didn’t do well in the report,” said Vivaldo. The lack of daily Department of Education (DOE) was in said Stringer in May. “We know that physical physical activity had taken a toll, she added. violation of state requirements by failing to fitness is critical for both academic success “A lot of children are overweight.” provide students with equal access to physical and long-term health, which is why it’s so According to a recent report on the state of education resources. distressing that our schoolchildren, including physical education in city schools, Vivaldo’s In the school-by-school analysis, for many in neighborhoods with high obesity son is not alone. example, over 54 percent of schools in East rates, lack access to certified PE teachers and In May, Comptroller Scott Stringer released Harlem’s School District 4 were found to lack spaces for physical education.” Dropping the Ball, an investigative report that a full-time certified PE teacher and nearly The report determined that over 400,000 found that thousands of city public school a third did not have access to a dedicated students in public schools lack a full-time children do not receive adequate amounts of physical fitness space. In the South Bronx, certified PE teacher, attend a school without physical activity throughout the school year School Districts 7, 9 and 12, over 40 percent of a physical fitness space, or attend a school – and that there existed persistent disparities schools did not have dedicated fitness spaces. without a school yard or nearby park. Rafaela Vivaldo is concerned from one school to the next. “[This] shortfall will have long-term effects Stringer’s report also expressed concern about her son’s health. In fact, the report determined that the city’s on children in underserved neighborhoods,” See SEEKING p21 Buscando igualdad en el juego Historia y fotos por Mónica Barnkow afaela Vivaldo no está sorprendida Rde que su hijo siga fallando la prueba. No ha logrado aprobar el reporte de acondicionamiento físico estudiantil publicado anualmente por el Departamento de Educación de la ciudad (DOE por sus siglas en inglés). Vivaldo dice que ella sabe que su hijo, ahora en el tercer grado, no practica suficiente actividad física. Su escuela es una de las más sobrepobladas de la ciudad y sólo hay un gimnasio para atender las necesidades de sus 2,000 estudiantes. “A muchos de los niños no le fue bien en el informe”, señaló Vivaldo. La falta de actividad física diaria les ha pasado factura, agregó. “Debemos comenzar a cambiar esta “Muchos de los niños tienen sobrepeso”. situación”, dijo Michael Davoli. De acuerdo con un reciente informe sobre el estado de la educación física en las escuelas de está violando los requisitos del estado al no la ciudad, el hijo de Vivaldo no está solo. proporcionar a los alumnos un acceso igualitario a En mayo, el contralor Scott Stringer los recursos de educación física. lanzó Dropping the Ball, un informe de En el análisis por escuela, por ejemplo, se investigación que encontró que miles de niños encontró que en más del 54 por ciento de las de escuelas públicas de la ciudad no reciben la escuelas en el distrito escolar East Harlem 4 cantidad adecuada de actividad física durante hace falta un profesor certificado de educación el año escolar, y que existen disparidades física de tiempo completo y casi un tercio no tiene persistentes entre una escuela y otra. acceso a un espacio dedicado específicamente al De hecho, el informe determinó que el DOE Vea BUSCANDO p21 4 NOVEMBER 04, 2015 • MaNhattaN tiMEs • www.manhattantimesnews.com It’s Happening at Columbia in November WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 Panel Discussion: Corruption Group Discussion: Parsing Tech Talk The Transparency Series: A Conversation With Alissa J. Rubin Round-up 4:00 P.M. Illustration 6:00 P.M. TO 8:00 P.M. 12:10 P.M. 601B Pulitzer Hall, Morningside 5:00 P.M. 301 Pulitzer, Morningside campus campus 102A Jerome Greene Hall, Morningside Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Jill Abramson, former executive campus Join Farai Chideya and Josh Begley of Pulitzer Hall, Morningside campus editor of The New York Times, in There is no shortage of scandals in New The Intercept and Marguerite Holloway Ellen Weinstein, world-renowned conversation with Alissa J. Rubin York state politics. Hear about the sta- of Columbia Journalism School for a illustrator and frequent contributor to about the risks and rewards of a tus of these corruption cases from New group discussion. Contact Liz Boylan many publications, moderates a con- career in journalism, their years York Times writer William Rashbaum. for more info at eb2596@columbia versation on illustration as it relates together at The New York Times, For more info, contact Jacob Watkins .edu. Registration required; register at to journalism. For more info, visit the challenges of being a female at (212) 854-7419. http://towcenter.org/events. http://transparency.brown.columbia.edu war correspondent, work-life bal- ance, and advice for students. Billie Holiday: The Jazz Concert: Anat Cohen SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15 For more info and to RSVP, visit Musician and the Myth Quartet www.journalism.columbia.edu. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. CUMC Symphony Casa Italiana, 1161 Amsterdam Ave., Miller Theatre, Morningside campus Orchestra Fall Concert SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 Morningside campus Anat Cohen’s clarinet sings out with 3:00 P.M. John F. Szwed, director of Columbia’s the many musical voices of Brazil. Alumni Auditorium, 650 W. 168 St., Men’s Basketball Center for Jazz Studies, discusses Tickets $20-$35. For more info and Medical Center campus vs. Lehigh his new book; introduction by Farah tickets, visit www.millertheatre.com. The CUMC Symphony Orchestra, com- 4:00 P.M. Jasmine Griffin. Live performance by posed of students, faculty, and staff, will Francis S. Levien Gymnasium, Dodge Catherine Russell and her Trio. Free WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 perform Mozart’s Coronation Mass Physical Fitness Center, Morningside but registration required. To register, in C Major, followed by Beethoven’s campus email [email protected]. For more Race and New Media Symphony No. 7, conducted by Chris For more info, call (212) 854-2535 or visit info, visit www.jazzcolumbia.edu. 6:00 P.M. Grubb. Tickets: $5. For more info, con- www.gocolumbialions.com. World Room, Pulitzer Hall tact Jacob Watkins at (212) 854-7419.