Occupy Wall Street 'Clean Up' Clash: Local Pols Asks Bloomberg to Chill

(UPDATE: A slew of local representatives have joined in asking the Mayor to seek compromise. See below.)

As it looks like the odds of conflict tomorrow morning are increasing, Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer sent us word that he has called on Mayor Bloomberg to immediately meet with the Lower Manhattan community, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and the major stakeholders before proceeding with the planned clean-up of Zuccotti Park.

The Mayor says the clean up will begin at 7 a.m. tomorrow (Friday).

OWS is calling on occupiers to resist the clean up, because the Mayor has used this ruse in the past to boot occupiers out of a park.

According to OWS, "This is an emergency situation . . . NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that they will move in to clear us and we will not be allowed to take sleeping bags, tarps, personal items or gear back into the park. This is it — this is their attempt to shut down #OWS for good."

OWS is calling for nonviolent tactics to hold ground. Example: "Sit down, link arms and do not let go! If the police drag you away, you can comply or go limp." OWS warns that occupiers can expect to be arrested.

Seniors, Start Your Engines

It's interesting to read that senior citizens have asked how they can help. Suggestions have included driving very slowly around the park tomorrow morning.

Stringer says he hopes to "avoid unnecessary conflict and protect the safety and well-being of all involved." Earlier today, the Stringer met with OWS protestors and encouraged them to formalize and publicize a “Good Neighbor Policy,” which has now been posted online.

Manhattan's BP said, “It’s my view that it is wise to have more discussions and meetings and not rush to a 7 a.m. deadline," he said. “There is no need to rush into hasty, precipitous action when it comes to the peace and safety of our community."

UPDATE:

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio also sent in a statement advising compromise: "I am deeply concerned that the City has upended this balance by trying to unilaterally remove protesters and their effects from Zuccotti Park."

UPDATE2: Brooklyn Council Members Brad Lander, Tish James, Steve Levin, Matthieu Eugene, and Jumaane Williams signed a letter to Mayor Bloomberg asking him not to crack down on the Occupy Wall Street protesters. More here.

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Fall Civic Sweep (and Party) in Park Slope

Celebrate Fall with Park Slope Civic Council

Make a clean sweep of your home and your neighborhood by joining the Park Slope Civic Council at its annual autumn beautification, clean-up and recycling event: the Fall Civic Sweep on Sunday, October 16.

Put on your old clothes and come to the sidewalk in front of the John Jay High School Building on 7th Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine) to join other volunteers in picking up litter, mulching trees and weeding 7th Avenue tree pits.

The event includes refreshments and bluegrass music by Vincent Cross and Good Company. “I Made Park Slope Cleaner Today” stickers will be given to all volunteers. Community Service vouchers will also be available. The Council will be giving away daffodil bulbs and a limited supply of block clean-up kits.

“This year is really exciting because we have some new partners on board,” said Candace Woodward, event organizer, "including Transportation Alternatives, who will be on hand to promote bicycle safety and offering affordable bicycle light sets for purchase."

Another partner, Lower East Side Ecology Center, will be available for electronic equipment recycling.More here: Park Slope Civic Council

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Brooklyn Bridge March Against NYPD's Stop-and-Frisk Abuse

Close to a thousand black and Latino youth and their supporters from Make the Road New York rallied in Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn yesterday. They were protesting the NYPD's discriminatory stop-and-frisk policy. After the rally they marched over the Brooklyn Bridge to New York City Hall Park.

According to MRNY, blacks and Latinos are nine times as likely as whites to be stopped and frisked by the NYPD, even though they are no more likely to be arrested. Black and Latino youth say they are frequently shoved to the ground or spread-eagled on the hood of a car by police and frisked -- for no reason other than their race or neighborhood.

Transgender women say police target them as well, acting as if they are committing sex crimes every time they walk outside at night.

More here.

Photos by MK Metz

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Girl Sues Pimp Cop; Bridge Acrobats Get Mercy; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Brooklyn girl sues the cop who kidnapped her and forced her into prostitution at the age of 13. Brooklyn Eagle

- Goldman Sachs employees have been warned not to Occupy Wall Street. Darn. Gawker

- Williamsburg Bridge acrobats spared felony charges. Gothamist

- The worst crosswalks for Brooklyn pedestrians and bikers. Brooklyn Eagle

- Cops catch one of the creeps who have been groping women in Brooklyn. NY1

- Moscot, the "iconic Manhattan eyewear shop," just signed a lease at 159 Court Street, next door to BookCourt. Racked

- Look what happened to the old Brooklyn navy Cocktail Lounge. Gothamist

- The New York Center for Sustainable Energy (NYCSE) has opened at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Marketwatch

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Kardashians Have Fun at The Brooklyn Bridge Park!

Kim and Kourt brought Mason to visit the Brooklyn Bridge Park yesterday:

"Kourt and I took Mason to the Brooklyn Bridge Park and had so much fun! We went on the carousel and took some pics with the amazing views of the New York City skyline in the background! I love NYC!!"

Thankxz for sharing!

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DUMBO Fire: Power Out at powerHouse Books, Starbucks, Other Main Street Businesses

A fire in the electrical area at powerHouse Books in DUMBO early this morning shut down the whole block at 45 Main Street. Starbucks, Pearson Testing Center, Workspeed and other companies are without power and in some cases their basements are flooded. Brownstoner says their main office is in the building.

Above: a couple wander into powerHouse, which smells strongly of fire. The artwork and books have been removed.

No word on what happened to the Contemporary Abstractions show, upstairs in the gallery, presented by the Mighty Tanaka Gallery. The show included the artwork of Adam Void, Drew Tyndell, Greg Henderson, JMR, Julia Colavita and Lauren Comito.

When we visited the gallery late Monday, this was one of the pieces we enjoyed. Hope someone can help us ID the artist. According to a commenter, the artist is Greg Henderson.

Photos by MK Metz

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Stolen iPads; Idiot Train Riders; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- City workers remove sexist signs in Williamsburg telling women to step out of the way when men walk by. Failed Messiah

- Where to buy an ostrich burger in Brooklyn. Carroll Gardens Patch

- Catch up with Brooklyn's sex crime spree news here. Brooklyn Eagle

- Fastest time ever: Four people broke into a Brooklyn Best Buy Store and stole over $100,000 worth of iPads in just under four minutes. ABC

- Here's a video of a guy riding on the outside of the J train, to the amusement of the other passengers. Village Voice

- Some people freeze-dry their pets. NY Times

- The non-hipster section of Brooklyn has a fairly impressive Columbus Day Parade. Brooklyn Eagle

- Just another service change on the number 4 train. Gothamist

- 672 of the cheapest, poorest employees at city schools get fired. NY Times

- A brief guide to NYC's Comic Con. Gothamist

- Who won the Republican presidential debate? The Democrats! Huff Post

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Helicopter Ballet

A daily delicate dance, over Brooklyn Heights.

Photo by MK Metz

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Big 'Creator's Project' Coming to DUMBO This Weekend

Preparations are taking place across DUMBO for the Creator's Project, an art and technology festival that takes place on October 15 and 16th.The event includes numerous installations, music, film screenings and panels. (Above: "Origin" by United Visual Artists is going up in the Tobacco Warehouse. Opening October 12th before the main event.)

From the website:

Some of the artworks have traveled the globe all summer, like the final adaptation of UVA’s audio-visual sculpture, with a soundtrack by composer Scanner, which will be the largest responsive work ever created by the UK based artists. We’ll also be showing Jonathan Glazer and J. Spaceman’s immersive sound installation, Mick Rock and Barney Clay’s David Bowie transfiguration and Quayola’s latest work, Strata #4.

On Saturday, there will be dozens of live music performances from bands like Florence + the Machine, A$AP Rocky, Atlas Sound, Company Flow, Four Tet and John Maus, to name a few. There will also be a slew of DJ sets, including the triumphant return of Justice, who will be playing their first NYC DJ set in two years, Juan MacLean, one of the most notorious artists on the DFA roster, as well as Nic Thorburn from the beloved indie-pop band Islands and the electronic duo The Golden Filter.

Films include Art of Flight, the latest daredevil snowboarding action sports film from Curt Morgan (Brain Farm) and pro-boarder Travis Rice (produced by Red Bull Media House), Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire‘s Scenes from the Suburbs and Peng Lei’s Follow Follow.

The event will be free and open to the public, though RSVP is mandatory.

Details here.

Photo by MK Metz

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Monarchs Flooding Brooklyn; Catching a Hipster; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Monarch butterflies are flooding Brooklyn. Scientific American

- Guy biking home across the Manhattan Bridge stumbles upon a man jumping rope nude there. Gawker

- Brooklyn's serial sex attacker struck again on Monday. NY Daily News

- How to catch a hipster. Here, via Reddit

- A site at Jay and Chapel streets in Downtown Brooklyn has sold to a developer for $2.3 million. Brooklyn Eagle

- Google wants to buy you brunch. Vote by Wednesday. Brokelyn 
 
- BAM And Then It Hits You. WYDNKBYANM

- Extending the sidewalk on Old Fulton Street. Brownstoner  

- Cell phone work better lately? AT&T has added or upgraded cell sites in 18 Brooklyn neighborhoods this summer. DumboNYC

- Red Hook art community still thriving in relative isolation. Brooklyn Eagle

- Multivitamins don't help U.S. women (and probably men) live longer. In fact, they may hurt. Reuters

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