Monday, September 18, 2023
Mostly Rainy. High 72 degrees.
Summer officially turns to fall on Sept. 23.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events! Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
Hispanic Heritage Month began on Sept. 15, and the Upper West Side’s Ballet Hispanico (167 West 89th Street) will be hosting a variety of upcoming events in celebration. You can check out their calendar HERE.
UWS News
By Gus Saltonstall
An elected official who represents Morningside Heights and part of the Upper West Side in the New York State Assembly must complete an anti-harassment retraining following a months-long investigation, according to a letter written by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. Longtime Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell must retake a “Policy Prohibiting Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation” training, reported Columbia Spectator and Patch.
While the exact reason for the investigation has not been made public, the ruling comes four months after O’Donnell told Assemblymember Catalina Cruz to “grow a pair, honey,” during a committee meeting on May 23.
O’Donnell, who has not responded to the Rag or other news organizations that have requested comment, has 60 days to complete the training. A spokesperson from O’Donnell’s office did tell Columbia Spectator that the Assemblymember is “committed to maintaining better decorum during future engagements.”
A popular Upper West Side bar has been robbed multiple times by children, who are believed to be between eight and nine years old, according to multiple reports.
Steve Wiebe, the owner of Amsterdam Ale House, told CBS News that his local watering hole has been targeted multiple times over the summer by the same three young children, along with an adult who appears to stand outside as a spotter.
“They will literally get caught by one of us robbing the place and be back the next day. They just don’t care,” Wiebe said to CBS News.
Given the children’s age, NYPD would most likely not be able to file charges.
An Upper West Side townhouse that is over 130 years old and has a 33-foot-long indoor swimming pool has hit the market for $14.9 million. Originally constructed in 1891, the townhouse on West 70th Street has six floors, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, wooden staircases, and an elevator.
The home was built by Gilbert Schellenger, who designed dozens of buildings on the Upper West Side and throughout the city. The West 70th Street townhouse is 20-feet wide and has a total of 8,500 square feet.
If you weren’t already sold, the basement is referred to as the lower spa level, which comes with the 33-foot, six-foot deep lap pool, a jacuzzi, and a steam shower. It is also an ozone pool system, meaning it doesn’t require chlorine. For those curious on what the monthly real estate tax would be on the impressive property: the answer is $7,414.
You can check out photos from the listing HERE.
As the migrant crisis continues to develop in New York City, the New York Times published a deep dive on September 14 into the “unthinkable” boom in people choosing to travel through Panama’s dangerous Darien Gap, part of the only land route from South America into the United States.
The article, ‘A Ticket to Disney’? Politicians Charge Millions to Send Migrants to U.S.’, also examines the profits made by local leaders in towns near the entrance point of the route.
So far in 2023, more than 360,000 people have crossed the jungle in the direction of the United States, already surpassing last year’s record-breaking figure of almost 250,000, the Times reported. This April, the United States, Colombia, and Panama signed an agreement to “end the illicit movement of people” through the Darien Gap.
Stopping the movement has proved more challenging than expected, though. The Times breaks down the different forces at play in the migration, the parties that benefit, and the local economies it is revitalizing in Central America.
You can read the full story HERE.
The popular hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, which includes Upper West Side native Michael Diamond (Mike D), had a street co-named after them in Lower Manhattan this past week. The Lower East Side intersection of Ludlow and Rivington is officially now co-named Beastie Boys Square.
Diamond has previously said he was raised by a “Barney Greengrass family,” referencing the iconic Upper West Side bagel shop.
In May, Diamond’s childhood home at the El Dorado building on the Upper West Side sold for $14.99 million. Other celebs to have called the building home include Alec Baldwin and Bono.
The New Yorker’s most recent online edition featured a profile on Breaking Ground, a nonprofit that develops and operates housing for the homeless, and the group that oversees operations at the recently opened West 83rd Street Safe Haven.
The article tells the story of multiple formerly homeless people that have gotten housing at a Brooklyn Breaking Ground facility and the case managers and other employees that work at the nonprofit.
“Jessica’s newly renovated studio apartment looked pristine, and its triple-paned windows replaced the din of the Manhattan Bridge subway traffic with suctioning silence,” The New Yorker writes about the Breaking Ground facility. “Like all the supportive-housing apartments in the building, it was furnished with a full-sized bed, a small table, and two chairs. There were built-in shelves and drawers in an enormous closet, and a ‘welcome box,’ containing bedding, kitchen and cleaning supplies, and toiletries.”
Formerly homeless residents began moving into the 83rd Street Safe Haven run by Breaking Ground at the beginning of August.
For those interested in how Breaking Ground runs its facilities as its new Upper West Side facility continues to fill its 108 beds, you can read the New Yorker piece HERE.
To receive WSR’s free email newsletter, click here.
1) The Beastie Boys played their first concert at 100th and Broadway, where the Metro Diner is.
2) It’s sad that a publicly paid politician is forced to do harassment training without clarity as to why. This weakens the progress made since the #metoo movement.
3) I applaud the attention NY has brought to the migrant crisis in 2023. What changed?
That’s exactly where John Berry, an early member of the group, lived, over the Metro Diner. He and Diamonds went to Walden School, as did I. Walden has a number of alumni who are talented musicians and people involved in the art, theater, education, writing, etc.
I think the training is because he used a sexual reference to “growing a pair” (of you know what) and he also called her “honey.” She’s not his honey.
2) Did yo not read the article? It was perfectly clear regarding his offensive remark.
Surprised to see the events calendar doesn’t include the Morningside Park “Our Common Ground” festival on Saturday the 23rd. Looks like a good free family event. They’re currently recruiting volunteers if anyone wants to help. You get a free t-shirt and lunch.
https://www.morningsidepark.org/commonground
Volunteer sign-up sheet, since the above link doesn’t include that: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DACA728A5FCC61-ourcommon#/
Does anyone wonder why the United States once the most powerful Nation in the world is now completely unable to secure our border?
Not really. Congress is locked up due to partisanship, so even though everyone agrees we need to update our immigration laws, no one does. The border is still fairly secure, though. Most of the people in the city are here legally, in the process of seeking asylum status, with court appointments for hearings. Most of the people who are in the country illegally came here legally and didn’t leave when their visas expired. Of course, there’s also room to debate how the reason many of these people are uprooting the lives their families have built for generations at home to make the dangerous trip here can partly be traced back to how our own country’s climate, economic, and foreign policies helped make their countries unlivable.
The people who crossed the Mexican border are NOT asylum seekers. Had they been seeking asylum, they would have requested it in Mexico, a country where hundreds of thousands of US citizens live, millions vacation in every year, and thousands of US retirees move to each year. They are economic migrants.
You have made these comments multiple times. But there is a very big difference between an American going to Mexico and a Latino person living in Mexico. Law enforcement in Mexico is very corrupt and even works with the drug cartels. (See the NYT article on how the police helped a cartel kidnap young girls.) But the cartels will not touch an American for fear that it will bring too much attention from the American people and therefore the American government (FBI, DEA, Military…)
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/world/americas/mexico-cartels-kidnapping-americans.html?searchResultPosition=1
Besides- nothing says you have to seek asylum in the closest possible country – you seek asylum in the country where you will be safest and can also prosper.
Being safe and prospering is wonderful. Everyone else’s being forced to pay for the migrant’s housing and food and other services is unjust, and we should get rid of this obligation.
Maybe if Congress could get past their hangup of not voting for anything the other party proposes or supports, we could actually fix some of our immigration problems like granting migrants who are legally here because of their asylum applications temporarily work permits so they can support themselves. The only reason why we tax payers have to foot the bill is because they can’t work legally until their asylum case is decided. Do you know how think these people want to live in shelters and survive on governmental and charitable handouts? Statistics show that illegal immigrants work harder than native born Americans. I feel it is safe to assume this would carry over to the asylum seekers as well, since they worked harder just to get here than most of us have ever worked in our lives.
You’re wrong. Those seeking asylum in the U.S. must come to the U. S. border or a port of entry elsewhere in the U.S. to seek asylum., as a matter of law. Evidently, you want them to remain in Mexico, but if you were seeking asylum, in a safe country, where it’s possible to work & raise a family, free from fear, would you choose Mexico or the U.S.?
Oh dear. Yes rich Retired Americans live there. Don’t think you find many living it up on social security. And then there’s the small matter of drug cartels
Catalina Cruz is a problematic elected official. Not surprised to see someone angered to the point where someone told her what was said. She is also the reason why Juan Ardila, a Queens Assemblymember accused of sexual assault, is still in office and hasn’t resigned.
Yes, I’m pretty firmly in the “woke” camp most of the time, but I know O’Donnell has done some real work during his career–tons of good stuff for gay and trans rights, and preventing convicted domestic abusers from owning a fire arm (they are statistically more likely to commit murder.) This seems a very silly thing to get worked up over on Cruz’s part, especially since a quick review of her Wikipedia shows that she thrived under the Cuomo administration where I’m sure she heard much worse and chose to say nothing
Of course someone gets her panties in a twist over “Grow a pair, honey.” I can’t wait for the pendulum to swing the other way already re: everything “triggering” a bunch hyper-sensitive infants. How does anyone with such a thin skin even survive in this city?
So you’re advocating for sexual harassment in the workplace? This is a hostile sexist comment, which is likely not the first, but the one that needed to be taken seriously. It is demeaning (implying a woman needs to be a man to accomplish that) and not only sets a tone for the workplace but how women should be treated/communicated to. As it has been proven , this has downward consequences on the bottom line if it continues as the culture languishes and becomes/remains toxic.
I’ve had a thick skin for more years than I can count and this comment would have been a throw away on a good day in the offices and job sites I’ve worked at but one thing I and many women Gen X have hoped to accomplish is to leave these attitudes and platitudes behind. Here’s hoping it never swings backward!!
Agree. I don’t belong to any protected demographic and I’m afraid to speak at work
If you find yourself thinking twice about making comments that could offend your coworkers, that’s a good thing. And if your realizing that everything you want to say is offensive, maybe you’re the problem.
It’s the new soft woke generation.
You seem like a nice person who should be setting standards for decorum in government.
The $15 million townhouse is in a historic district and will never be able to be redeveloped into denser, more affordable housing. It’s unaffordable housing preserved into perpetuity. (A multi family home would pay more taxes to support our infrastructure too!)
If charges won’t be pressed on underage thievery, I hope their parent are made aware and possibly will have charges pressed against them. There was some indication on the news the parents or some came into the venue and distracted the service people while their children ran around stealing purses, rifling through a safe etc. It’s not just some 8 year old band of robbers
Regarding the thieving children: I wonder if it is possible for a police officer to file charges of child endangerment (or whatever is appropriate) and arrest the so called grownup waiting outside.
Charge the parent as an accessory
As to the politicians who I’m assuming are from Columbia and Panama…let’s name names and stop any money to those countries until they clean up their act.
The UWS is lucky to have Breaking Ground. As a journalist who frequently covers housing issues I have long admired the work it has done in supportive housing, a model that by expert consensus is the best way to move people from street homelessness to housing and life stability.
There are a certain number of homeless individuals in our neighborhood.
Do you know them?
Have you spoke to them?
On a weekly basis?
If you’ve lived here for several years, you know who they are….
NOT ONE OF THEM –
I just want to make that perfectly clear,
not one of these individuals, and there are roughly 20 –
Have not gone to the shelter on W. 83rd St.
So, this appears to be more homeless people that are congregating in our neighborhood
And for individuals that are addicted to alcohol, drugs, or mentally ill. Having a shelter system with no rules in place is not the best way to spend taxpayers money or help these individuals.
These individuals need to be in a closed hospital setting where they can receive the proper medication/treatment.
The Safe Haven seem to be a wonderful for the nonprofit to make more $$$$, but they don’t really help addicted and mentally ill individuals get better.
And while we are discussing W. 83rd St., across from the public school, have you given any consideration to the children?
Registered sex offenders can stay ant West 83rd as they can just wander in even though it’s against the law for a level three sex offender to be in a proximity to a public school or playground.
Is there any consideration for the children in our neighborhood?
There was a lot of public masturbation and sexual activity when the men were at the Belleclaire and Lucerne, on the street, still confused, why they couldn’t do it in their hotel room, but that’s another story.
Is it fair that the children were exposed to this?
Agreeing with other commenters about the “thieving children”: An adult who encourages (or forces) children to commit crimes is violating child welfare laws. These children need protection from an adult who is abusing and exploiting them — even though the children may not feel that way.
The business owners should call the police, while holding one or more of the children until the adult comes for them. The adult, not the children, should be charged with a crime — and the crime is child endangerment, not stealing.
Sigh….
Mr. O’Donnell seems to have fallen prey to the overbearing policies that he and his fellow-travelers have been endorsing. This article sums up the silliness: https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-censorship-bureaucracy
Re. the child criminal he/she can be arrested for the crime and is tried in family court. The adult lookout who put the child up to the crime is considered as a participant in the crime and should also be charged with the crime as well as Endangering the Welfare of a Child pursuant to New York Penal Law 260.10(1) for knowingly act in such a way that is likely to cause an injury to the mental state, person of (physical) or moral welfare of a child. The child must be sixteen years old or younger.
There is also the potential to report the child’s parent to the State SCR relating to child neglect/lack of supervision – if nothing else that a parent allowed a tween to be out at night