NOW THE DAILY NEWS HAS THE SHOPSIN’S STORY. IT’S AN ONLY IN NEW YORK KIND OF THING. WEST VILLAGE RESTAURANT MOVES TO BROOKLYN: BIG NEWS

Shopsin’s, the West Village diner made famous for its 900-item menu and odd rules, such as no more than four to a table, could be hauling its celeb-studded digs to Carroll Gardens.

"You’re right – I’m thinking about moving to Brooklyn," owner and chef Kenny Shopsin told the Daily News. "I don’t know what else to tell you."

Shopsin and his wife, Eve, are reportedly considering the move because of skyrocketing rent at their 34-seat Carmine St. digs, where they’ve been serving oddball entrees like the "sausage walnut potato volcano" since 2002.

But when asked about a West Village rent hike, Shopsin insisted his decision wasn’t based on money.

"My landlord is a fair and honest businessperson, and I have a good lease," said Shopsin, 63, who enforces a strict ban on cell phones. "That’s all. That’s it."

When pressed for his reason for considering a move to Brooklyn, Shopsin would only say: "Two of my five children live in Brooklyn and are happy there. When I visit them, I feel pretty good too."

For more than two decades, diners have poured into Shopsin’s as much for the spinach walnut pancakes as for notables like Lizzie Grubman, Drew Barrymore and her rocker boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti.

But if Shopsin decides to leave Manhattan, he won’t have to do it at the expense of his celebrity clientele. Besides Barrymore, who told New York magazine she would follow Shopsin, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams have been spotted dining out near their Dean St. home.

"We’ve got plenty of them living around here," said South Brooklyn Local Development Corp. President Bette Stoltz of the notable names in the neighborhood. "Between the movie stars and the literati, we’re doing okay."

The move wouldn’t be Shopsin’s first. Four years ago, he moved to his current digs after a rent hike at his original spot around the corner on Morton St. But on Smith St., where fine dining is the norm, the soup-and-sandwich joint might not make the cut, one local predicted.

Shopsin’s "used to be a legend when it had this perfect little corner spot," sniffed Saul Bolton, owner of Smith St. eatery Saul. "It’s a grimy, moldy, musty place where they make food out of a can. I wouldn’t be interested in going there now. Even if it was my neighbor."

Right now, Shopsin’s only immediate connection to Brooklyn seemed to be a beef gumbo and poached egg combination on the menu named for writer Truman Capote, who lived in Brooklyn Heights.

Boy, do I know Shopsin’s. And New York Magazine says that West Village restaurant moving to  Carroll Gardens after 24 years in the Village. That’s what I call Big Brooklyn News. (Picture by nycnosh.)

Not suprisingly, the owner refused to be interviewed for the New York Magazine story and told the reporter: "Why don’t you make something fucking up. That’s what you’re going to do anyway."  I think that’s Kenny Shopsin’s  motto when it came to reporters.

That place is so idiosyncratic and famous there’s even documentary about it called "I Like Killing Flies."

Back in the 1980’s I worked in an  office on Morton Street. At first I didn’t know what to make of this restaurant on the corner of Morton and Bedford that was frequently closed and looked like a vintage luncheonette or grocery store.

But it wasn’t a luncheonette at all. First of all, if you tried to get your morning coffee there they’d look at you funny — they were only open doing prep work for lunch. You could sit and have a cup if you want. "But we don’t bag it or anything,"  Mrs. Shopsin said.

The place was run by a strange, somewhat gregarious, rolypoly man named Kenny Shopsin, who usually wore a grease-stained t-shirt and a white apron (also dirty), and his wife. The menu was many pages long and it featured something like 900 items and about 100 soups. How, I wondered, could they have so many soups (and entrees) every day? It was a mystery. It really was a vast menu and the food was really interesting running the gamut from American comfort, breakfast, dinery-lunchy, to dinner entrees of their own invention.

One thing I remember vividly. Instead of caps on the ketchup bottles, there were plastic dinosaur figurines plugged into the bottles.

Another thing, Kenny didn’t like tourists much. So, if he saw a bunch of tourists approaching the restaurant he’d run over to the door and say, "Sorry, we’re closed." as he put the Closed sign up.

I know the place had a lot of regulars and celebs. People you’d recognize, people you wouldn’t. It was really an institution down there on Morton Street – one of the great streets in the West Village. They moved to Bedford and Carmine Street. I never went – I couldn’t wrap my head around the new, more modern location.

Wonder where they’re moving to in Carroll Gardens? Anyone know? A Brooklyn Life – yoo hoo.

Also here are Ruth Reichl and Eric Asimov on Shopsin’s:

The menu is encyclopedic, the soups are spectacular and the welcome is eccentric. It’s been a Village hangout for years, and the owners, who would just as soon it stayed that way, are wary of strangers. – Ruth Reichl (4/98)

You’re not likely to find a stranger restaurant in New York than Shopsin’s, housed in an old general store. Kenny Shopsin, the chef and owner with his wife, are as likely to yell at you as look at you, especially if they don’t like your attitude. The food is as quirky as the owners, with many of Shopsin’s own pancake and soup inventions. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not so good, but portions are always huge. – Eric Asimov (4/98)
-The New York Times

Here’s a picture of Capathia Jenkins from Sunday night’s fundraiser at the Old Stone House. It makes me happy to look at it because it was such a great night of music. For those who missed it, they will return. We are hoping to present them again in 2007. So stay tuned.

On June 18th, Capathia and Louis Rosen will be performing at the Great Hall of Cooper. OTBKB will provide details as soon as she has them.

This incredible picture was taken by Tom Martinez, Pastor of All Souls Bethlehem Church in Kensington. He is also an avid photographer with a web site on digital railroad. I saw him taking pictures in the back of the room on Sunday night and I had a feeling they would be good. I was right.

I am grappling with the issues raised by the recent events on Third Street, I am…listening, reading and trying to take in what I am hearing from neighbors, friends and commenters on OTBKB.

I am hearing that neighbors on Third Street are joining together to aid the man accused of child molestation. He will NEED money for his defense – someone said $10,000. I am wondering if anyone is COLLECTING MONEY ON HIS BEHALF?

Ironically, the over-exposure of this situation could result in his getting the money for the lawyer he needs. Is there a defense fund for him. If not, there should be. He has no money and he needs help.

Everyone deserves good legal counsel.

Quite a few people I’ve spoken to say that the mother was wrong putting the man’s name on the infamous flyer. And I agree. Even putting her own name up there violated her daughter’s privacy. Now the local news will not reveal the name of the mother to protect the girl. But the man, his name is smeared all over the city.

Did the mother have a good reason to take matters into her own hands? He’d been arrested, faced a Grand Jury and is now awaiting trial. What more did she want? Couldn’t she just let the judicial system do what it needs to do?

It think it would have been possibe to spread the word without naming him. She could have written something like: There is an accused sex offender living on this block. He is awaiting trial. In the meantime, do everything you can to assure that your children are well supervised, safe and educated in what to do if such a situation arises.

But you don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.

We all KNOW that there is danger in this city, this country, this world. That’s why we act prudently and cautiously. We protect our children every single day from danger. We oversee their activities, supervise them, stay in touch with them, and NEVER EVER introduce the to situations that might be dangerous. That is the pact we make when we have children. Bottom line: it is our responsibility every day to protect our children and teach them to be smart about imminent danger.

Danger lurks all around. But for the most part, we manage to avoid it by staying alert to the fact that the world is a complicated place and complicated things happen.

The Daily News paraphrased something I said about "stranger danger." Most kids are warned about  strangers when it is actually really nice, familiar people who harm them in this way (I am not suggesting that the man is guilty – I am speaking generally here).

Right from the beginning, I saw parents, understandably, go into "protective parent over-drive." How do I protect my kid, what do I say, how do I even explain what the sign said?

These are just some of the thought rumbling around in my brain. Someone asked me tonight if I think I made a mistake putting the story about finding the sign on my blog. It’s quite possible that I did make a mistake. That it was done without enough thought of what the ramifications might be.

I never imagined that he was someone so many people knew. Once I heard that he was a familiar face on the block, a well-liked person, "a good man," I knew things were going to get very complicated.

And god knows they have.

There was a relief around here when we learned that the R train was back in service and Teen Spirit’s high school was open. Good news all around. Although Teen Spirit was holding out for another day off.

The R train was back in service in time for the Tuesday morning rush
following a nasty water main break in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Monday.

Rushing water from the break forced the line to be shut down
between 95th and 36th Streets Monday. Mud and debris reached two feet
above the roadbed and covered approximately 300 feet of track.

Crews worked through the day and night to get service restored in time for the Tuesday morning rush.

Above ground, the news is not as good. Fourth Avenue between 72nd
and 77th Streets is still closed to street traffic thanks to a giant
sinkhole caused by the break that swallowed an SUV.

Water and gas service was turned off for a time while crews lifted the SUV, but was restored shortly afterwards.

The word is out. There was a story in this morning’s New York Daily News. And I’m quoted.

How did a blog entry about feeling uncertain and confused when I
read a note posted in the entryway of my building gradually turn into
the fiasco that this has become?

This morning I got calls from Channel 11, and one call from Fox 5: I wouldn’t talk to them. A reporter from CBS rang the intercom and another reporter from Channel 11 called to say that she was on the block. I groaned.

I told the CBS reporter that I didn’t want to be interviewed on camera. He said that was fine but to come down to talk -for background.

I made him wait and when I got downstairs, two cameras were rolling and the CBS reporter AND the Channel 11 reporter were thrusting their microphones in my face.

I thought you weren’t going to interview me.

They were really interested in ONLY ONE THING — where does HE live, where does SHE live. And I didn’t feel right telling them. I didn’t want to set the wolves on them.

The CBS reporter reminded me of Ted Baxter and boy did he want to get some info out of me. First he tried nice and suave, "So where does he live?" he said with a Baxteresque smile.

I told him that I knew but I didn’t want to say. Then Ted Baxter got a little testy: "Come on give me a clue," he said. Again I said no. Then he tried another tact. All sweet and nice again: "Where does SHE live?"

But I wouldn’t give him what he wanted.  "You read the note didn’t you," he said sounding angry again. "Did you forget the name?"

I think I purposely didn’t memorize the name. And for good reason. I certainly don’t think it’s my job to tell these reporters what they want to know. If they want to disrupt a few lives today for this story, they can do the footwork to find out the names and addresses.

Tomorrow they’ll be on to the next story. But they leave such chaos in their wake. And that’s the story that I will tell. Because when the dust settles again, Third Street will have to heal. There may be contention on the block. There have been issues before – within buildings, between neighbors. But we’ve survived them all with good will and openheartedness.

Yet we all have to live side by side in that New York City way. We’ll continue to shop at each other’s yard sales, attend bar-b-cues and building potlucks, watch the 4th of July fireworks from someone’s roof, chit chat on the sidewalk, hang out at the Mojo or the Coco Bar.

It’ll be interesting to see how Third Street gets through this. My sense is that community spirt, mutual repect and open heartedness will prevail.

If this becomes an object lesson rather than a witch hunt, everything will be okay.

But you never know.

Transfer, NYC’s blogger of architecture bad, good, and otherwise had a post Monday about the new buildings going up at the corner of Sterling Place and 7th Avenue, where, in 1960, a United DC-8 crashed killing 135 people and destroying a church and a funeral home.

Construction on the new buildings is nearing completion and for the first time in 45 years, there will be buildings in that spot, instead of a vacant lot.

I can’t walk by there without thinking of that crash or the fact that an 11-year old boy by the name of Stephen Baltz survived for one day. He died at Methodist Hospital. There’s a bronze wall plaque near the hospital chapel made from the change that was in his pocket.

This is a Teen Spirit story. He got to miss school because of this water main break. Woo hoo. We’re standing by to see if there’s school on Tuesday. Please. This from New York 1

The Transit Authority says a water main break that caused major
headaches for commuters along the R train in Brooklyn Monday may not be
repaired in time for the Tuesday morning commute.

Officials hoped to have full R service back up and running by 9
p.m. Monday, but the TA now says crews will work through the night to
fix the problem, with no guarantees service will be back by the morning
rush hour.

Meanwhile, gas and water service has been restored to the area near the water main break following outages.

Fourth Avenue is closed to traffic between 72nd and 79th Streets.  

The news from Duckyland. Diaper Diva bought Ducky a pair of ultra cool bikini underpants with a green camouflage pattern and pink lace.

"I heard from the babysitters in my building that the best way to toilet train a baby is to put them in underpants. They won’t want to mess them up."

As DD was paying the cashier at Lolli’s, she caught sight of the colorful Baby Bjorn potties on a high shelf. "Maybe I should get her a potty. They say it’s a good idea to have one around."

Before you can say poop, Diaper Diva is deciding what color potty she wants to buy. "Do you think I’m being crazy," she asked me. "Do ya?"

Everyone is in a rush to toilet train their babies. Changing diapers gets old pretty fast. You can’t blame DD for wanting to move things a long. A little more quickly.

When Diaper Diva got home, she nonchalantly left the bright yellow Bjorn potty in the bathroom. She claims that Ducky actually sat on it. Once. But it did make a great hat. She put it on her head, and did all kinds of tricks with it.

It’s not getting much use right now as a potty – but it’s a terrific toy. As for the stylish bikini panties – I’m not sure if she’s tried those on. Well, my best guess is yes — Ducky has probably tried them on. OSFO got a pair too. They are just so so cool.

Camouflage undies. What will they think of next?

Hey, let’s put on a show. That’s been my mantra since I was 12 years old when my sister, Margaret Cohen, and I would lip synch to our favorite musical numbers, move to our own elaborate choreography and entertain our parents who were sitting on the living room couch.

And I’m talking "Mein Heir" from Cabaret, complete with chairs and fishnet stockings, "Flesh Failures" from Hair, and "Take back Your Mink" (Take back your poils)" from Guys and Dolls.

So my desire to put on a show goes way, way back. Years in the film business sort of satisfied that longing. But not really. Later, particpation in director’s workshops at Playwright’s Horizons and Ensemble Studio Theater filled a need.

Years later, my film background and my theater background merged when I worked with Batwin + Robin Productions to design projections for Twilight Los Angeles with Anna Deavere Smith, and Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk at the Public Theater and Swinging on a Star on Broadway.  Now that was cool.

Nuff said. I love the theater and always, always will. But these days I am wearing a different hat – a writer’s hat. Still, I do get exercise my producing chops with Brooklyn Reading Works, where I present writers of fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, and plays at the Old Stone House.

So last March when I saw Louis Rosen and Capathia Jenkins at the Public Theater (one of my favorite venues in New York) I was so blown away by the songs and the singing that I got to thinkin’: It’s literary – the songs are based on the poetry of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Louis Rosen – it kinda fits the Brooklyn Reading Works model.

But it was after seeing another performance at Makor on the Upper West Side that I said to myself: I really, really want to bring this show to the Old Stone House.

"You’ll never get a piano into that room. The stairs or too narrow," Hepcat said knowingly. "Oh, I bet we can," I said without a clue.

Soon, Kim Maier, the board of the Old Stone House, and I decided to present Louis and Capathia in a benefit to support their cultural programming this summer.

There were a lot of conversations with Louis and Kim  about scheduling, budget, renting a piano (whatever you do DON’T get a spinnet), and all the other various and sundry details involved with putting on a show.

When we finally decided on the date (coordinating with three busy artists is no piece of cake), postcards designed by Peter Joseph were sent out and…

WE WERE PUTTING ON A SHOW!!!!

Saturday morning (the day before the show)  I walked over to the Old Stone House to watch the piano movers move the piano up the narrow staircase. They seemed to be having no trouble at all – aside from the usual trouble of carrying a piano up a flight of small stairs.

"It’s a spinnet," Kim said. "My husband saw it and said it’s a spinnet."

Ain’t that always the way, I thought. The one thing Louis kept warning us about –  here we were with our spinnet.

Later when Alex, the Russian piano turner and owner of the piano rental shop, was tuning the small upright upstairs I said:

"Too bad it’s spinnet."
"Eeets not a spinnet," he said commandingly
"Oh, I thought it was a spinnet," I said.
"Eeetss a console. Not a spinnet. Eeets a console," he said.

Relieved  I went downstairs and told Kim.
"My husband was pretty convinced it was a spinnet," she said.
"My husband said we’d never get the piano upstairs," I reminded her. "and your husband said it was a spinnet…"
"Why listen to husbands," one or the other of us said.

For more on the show see: Let’s Put On A Show #2

It took a few minutes for me to calm down after handing out programs and directing people to the coat rack, the wine. At 7:10 or so, I flashed the lights and asked everyone to go upstairs.

The room was packed. A few stragglers came in late. The audience was ready. Some had no idea what they were about to see. Some had dragged themselves from their Sunday evening comfort to see what was going on at the Old Stone House. People were even willing to miss "The Sopranos."

For me, it was a few minutes into the show, when I actually sat down and focused on the show.

Capathia started out with a couple of beautiful Langston Hughes songs. There was a palpable sense of relief in the room as the audience seemed to melt into her warm musical embrace. It felt easy: they were in good hands. She was about lead the way on an artistic journey and the audience was game.

Then Louis came on stage. He’s been called gaunt, angsty, and Jewish. My sister said he has a remarkable charisma on stage. We were meeting the man behind the music and hearing him sing, too, a masterful story-song about sleezy hotel in Chicago

Then it was time for "Southside Stories" his song cycle based on his book, "The South Side: The Racial Transformation of an American Neighborhood," Rosen’s 1998 exploration of white flight in Chicago’s southside after the neighborhood changed its racial makeup.

The song cycle is very personal but it is also, as Kerry Reid wrote in the Chicago Tribune,  "a somber portrait of heartbreak and survival,joy and its absence,and love that endures even when the objects of that love are long vanished."

The piece has an incredible mood and a very melodic  musical vocabluary that draws on a variety of 1960’s musical style. Different characters, voices and narratives are explored in each song. But they come together to create a wistful, sometimes nostalgic, often painful and ecstatic picture of a time gone by but still held onto fiercely.

In "On the Southside" and "If I Were a Reincarnationist" Rosen shows his skill at creating musical narratives that are like short stories. "Lucky Girl" found Capathia in a joyful, loving mood that was infectious.

From Chicago, we moved to the south of Maya Angelou’s youth. Capathia performed nine songs from the Angelou cycle, that were created expressly for her multi-timbered voice. With her subtle and persuasive sense of drama, Capathia gives life to Angelou’s women and becomes these characters in an instant – her stance, the way she holds her microphone or moves her hand. In tiny theatrical ways, she embodies these phenomenal women and stirs the room with virtuosic blues in a deep alto-to-high soprano range. Her earthy emotionality, full of pain and longing, belies a sophisticated vocal control.

The acoustics at the Old Stone House are astounding. It’s a wonderful place to hear music. And  there is  something about being in that little house in the middle of Brooklyn. The  incongruity of it makes for a magical time.  I have found that when people enter that room they are willing to really focus and listen. And that was truer than true last night. The audience was cradled by Capathia’s voice and big hearted personality.

A standing ovation was the least we could do to convey our apprecation and high regard for the night of fine music and performance we had just been given.

Crains New York reports that Whole Foods plans to build a bigger Brooklyn store:
by Catherine Tymkiw

Whole Foods Market said its new store in Brooklyn will be larger than previously expected, thanks to a redesign, but won’t require additional land.

The original plan called for a 49,000-square-foot store to be located near the Gowanus Canal on a 2.1-acre site at Third Street and Third Avenue. The retailer has three Manhattan locations: a 60,000-square-foot store at Columbus Circle, a 34,000-square-foot store in Chelsea and a 50,000-square-foot store at Union Square.

Published reports suggested that the Brooklyn expansion would require more land — a claim Whole Foods denies.

“It’s going to stay on that one lot,” said Whole Foods spokesman Fred Shank., adding that it was too soon in the redesign process to know the store’s exact size.

The store redesign and cleanup of the building site have prompted the organic food retailer to push back the grand opening by more than a year. It was originally planned to open this fall but is now expected to debut in early 2008.

The company said the new store would “reflect recent Whole Foods Market design innovations,” declining to provide further details. The retailer expects completion of environmental remediation by this fall, followed by 15 months of construction.

“A large portion of the cleanup work has already been completed,” said Environmental Conservation Department spokeswoman Gabrielle DeMarco. That work included removing contaminated petroleum storage tanks and excavating contaminated soil.

Ms. DeMarco said there’s no timetable for completion of the cleanup because Whole Foods voluntarily entered into the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, which gives companies tax credits in exchange for cleaning up contaminated sites.

It was just a note on the mirror of my building’s vestibule. Now it seems like a whole lot more.

People’s lives. The man. The girl. The mother. They’re all locked in a  twisted tango. Who is telling the truth? What is the truth?

Reputation. Judgement. Craziness. I am hearing many things. Many. That the man is reputable. That the accusations are groundless. That he doesn’t deserve to have his life ruined this way.

It was just a note on the mirror. But so much more. Ambiguity. A mother’s attempt to warn and protect or a mother’s attempt to indict and ruin a man publically.

What could be her motive? What could be his? And who is telling the truth?

And then there’s my small role in all of this. Did I fan the flames by putting it on OTBKB. But I didn’t know anything – I just saw the note and wanted to share what I was feeling about that note: the fear, the uncertaintly, the sense that these things are complicated.  Wondering if it  true, or is it slander.

I may know Third Street but I didn’t know this man at all. Now I am hearing about him from neighbors and friends who care about him, trust him, want to belive that these accusations are simply not true.

This is my beat. And if I wake up in the morning and there’s news literally on my door step…

There were moments this weekend when I wondered whether I was the reason that note was left there. That the mother knew, somehow, that I would blog about it, that I would spread the word and be complicit in what might be a lie.

I don’t know the truth—only two people know. And the mother, too. How could I possibly know?

A jury will have to sit through a trial – and hear the evidence – and decide whether there is enough proof. I sat on a jury in a sexual harassment trial last July. I know what it is like. You go in with a whole bunch of preconceptions and the trial can really turn you around. It’s all very complicated. And finally when the jury is sequestered and it’s time to reach a verdict, there must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

For someone who purports to know Third Street, I guess I don’t know Third Street as well as I thought. We know what we know and who we know — beyond that we don’t know a thing. If I fanned the flames in this incident – I take full responsibility.

There must be an object lesson in all this. About journalistic ethics and blogging. About Brooklyn blocks and what you do and don’t know. About sexual harassment and the muddy  realm of statutory rape, endangering the welfare of a child. About lies, about truth. There must be an object lesson in this.

There must be an object lesson in all of this.

Continue reading JUST A NOTE →

The Daily News asked me why I put the child molester story on my blog. A reason didn’t come immediately to mind. When I am being interviewed I try not to speak too quickly, try not to speak too impulsively.

After thinking about it a bit, I told her that  I saw the letter at 8:30 Friday morning but didn’t blog about it until 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning (As I sometimes do,  I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote the posts).

"This is my beat. You just know when it’s a story you have to tell," I said.

My reasons for doing it had nothing to do with outing a man who may or may not be guilty or humiliating a 13 year old girl, who has already been humiliated enough. I certainly didn’t want to name names or print addresses.

My reason was simple: The note was on my mind and it felt like an important wake up call about the world we live in. This is an issue that sneaked into our idyllic little world on Third Street. Park Slope may seem like a smally town where this kind of thing doesn’t happen.

But it does. It can happen anywhere.

I keep thinking about that David Lynch’s movie, "Blue Velvet," which opens with a simple, idealized "technicolor" depiction of small town life. The slow-motion shots, however, suggest that there is something not quite right with what we are
looking at. When Lynch pushes his  camera through the soft
green grass of a regular front lawn and shows us the slithering insects
that hide in the darkness, we realize that we are going to enter a very dark
world.

There is darkness just below the surface — beneath the facade.

No matter how you look at this story – whether it’s true or not. Whether the man is guilty or not. Whether the mother is telling the truth or not – there’s darkness here. Sadness. Pain.

All my attempts to delay talking to my daughter about it came undone when I was being interviewed by the reporter. She sat down right next to me on the stoop and later wanted to know what was going on. I had to bite the bullet and gently tell her why the reporters were here. It’s hard with a 9-year-old because so much about sexual behavior hasn’t really been discussed in much depth yet.

But I kept it pretty simple: There’s a man who may have touched a girl in a way that was inappropriate. He was much older and it isn’t right for an older person to touch a child…

Just as was getting into it, we saw two police cars in front of the home of the alleged perpetrator. "What are the police cars doing there?" my daughter asked. "Are they coming to get him?  I thought he was in jail already? He should be in jail."

I explained the old "innocent until proven guilty" thing – one of the foundations of democracy. He will be tried in front of a court of law, he will not go to prison unless he is found to be guilty by a jury of his peers.

My attention turned to the door of the building. There was a sign on the door that said, "NEIGHBORS. THE LOCKS HAVE BEEN CHANGED. GO TO APT. X FOR YOUR NEW KEYS."

I walked back across the street and saw a couple, longtime residents of this street,  standing in front of their building across the street wondering what was going on. They were staring but clearly had no idea why the police were there…

"I guess someone tried to break in," the woman said. "Must’ve been an attempted robbery or something."

"No. I think it has something to do with that note on the door," her husband said.
"They’re all pointing to that note on the door. I think it has something to do with that note on the door."

I don’t know what that note on the door means. It’s amazing how much of this story is about notes on a door.

It’s a long, byzantine story of buracracy and disappointment for Sunset Park, which has been waiting for a high school for 37 years. And the residents are ANGRY and Mobilized. Here’s an excerpt from the story in the New York Daily News.

For the third time, the neighborhood was promised a high school in the latest five-year school construction budget, only to see it cut at the last minute because of budget woes.

“It’s been taken away three times, and now people are incensed,” said Julie Stein Brockway, chairwoman of the Sunset Park High School Task Force.

“If this was Park Slope, this wouldn’t happen. If this was Bay Ridge, this wouldn’t happen,” added Brockway, who also heads the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park. “We are going to get this high school this time. The community is way too mobilized.”

Sunset Park is one of only two city community districts without a high school, advocates said.

I was taking a nap on Saturday afternoon when Hepcat came upstairs. "The Daily News is downstairs, they want to interview you," Hepcat said.

I dragged myself downstairs. "Are you the blogger?" Daily News reporter Celeste Katz asked. there was a photographer there as well.  She said she saw my story on OTBKB and wanted to hear more about the alleged Third Street child molester.

"All of the flyers have been torn down," she said. "And I talked to a lot of people on the block who said they hadn’t heard a thing or seen the flyer."

The reporter did stop by the building where the man lives and rang his intercom. "Speak to my lawyer." he said.

The reporters asked me how I felt. I said that I was concerned, not about this man in particular but about the reality that this sort of thing happens even in the small town of Brooklyn.

And what really concerns me, I said, was how to talk to my children about it. I found a site on the Internet that offered some good advice.

The reporter asked all the usual questions. My age, how long I’ve been blogging. She gave me her card and asked me to give her a call if I found anything else out. Then she asked the photographer to take a picture of me. We decided that I should pose with my computer open to my blog.

A woman walked by who lives in one of the nearby co-ops. She told the reporters that this man works for their building and that he is a very nice man.

Clearly, the situation is tragic for everyone involved. I feel for the girl, I feel for mother. I feel for the man who either has terrible judgement or is emotionally screwed up.

If it is true, I will feel betrayed that one of our neighbors on this very neighborly block would do something to endanger the safety of a child.

If it isn’t true, I feel sick that this man is being subjected to groundless charges.

The scariest thing about all of this is that it is always someone nice, always someone who has won the trust of those around them, that commits this kind of crime.

That is the scariest part of it all.

.

Many residents of Third Street woke up on Friday to find a letter on the front door of their apartment buildings or in their vestibules from a mother who lives near here.

"This is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, but if I heard that another child was molested because I kept my mouth shut, I would not be able to live with myself."

She described the man as someone who lives on this block, too.

"My family has used him for at least five years. He had keys and access to our building and has shown me on numerous occasion other keys for other building, many on this block."

She went on to write:

"(This man) has succeeded in seducing and molesting my 13 y.o. daughter, this apparently has been going on for a few months…I called the police and he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor, and attempted rape. He is out of jail on bail."

I of course will not post the name of this man for a number of reasons even though she provided his name and address. I have no way of proving the veracity of this note. I don’t even know if the writer really exists. She did give an email address and I plan to get in touch with her. I am inclined to think the letter is authentic and that the incident occurred. But I really don’t know.

Some of the moms on Third Street are trying to figure out what to do. We feel the need to share this information with our daughters in an age-appropriate way. But just how do you do that?

The thought of something like this happening to our children is frightening. A neighbor spoke to the guidance counselor at PS 321 for advice in this regard. I look forward to hearing what she had to say. In the meantime, I am haunted by the last paragraph of the note written by this mother, who describes herself as a single mom and a neighbor with RN, BSN, CNM degrees:

"Please talk to your children, hold them close. I could not bear the thought of this happening to anyone else’s child."

This is from a site called:  National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids.
I think they have good information about how to talk to kids, and what parents should know. Scary stuff. But VERY IMPORTANT to be aware of.

What are the most important things a parent should know when talking to a child about this issue?

1. Don’t forget your older children. Children aged 11 to17 are equally at risk to victimization. At the same time you are giving your older children more freedom, make sure they understand important safety rules as well.

2. When you speak to your children, do so in a calm, nonthreatening manner. Children do not need to be frightened to get the point across. Fear can actually work at cross-purposes to the safety message, because fear can be paralyzing to a child.

3. Speak openly about safety issues. Children will be less likely to come to you if the issue is enshrouded in secrecy. If they feel that you are comfortable discussing the subject matter, they may be more forthcoming to you.

4. Do not confuse children with the concept of “strangers.” Children do not have the same understanding of who a stranger is as an adult might. The “stranger-danger” message is not effective, as danger to children is much greater from someone you or they know than from a “stranger.”

5. Practice what you talk about. You may think your children understand your message, but until they can incorporate it into their daily lives, it may not be clearly understood. Find opportunities to practice “what if” scenarios.

6. Teach your children that it is more important to get out of a threatening situation, than it is to be polite. They also need to know that it is okay to tell you what happened, and they won’t be a tattletale.

Back to the top

What are the most important things a parent should tell a child about this issue?

1. Children should always check first with you or a trusted adult before they go anywhere, accept anything, or get into a car with anyone.  This applies to older children as well.

2. Children should not go out alone and should always take a friend with them when they go places or play outside.

3. It’s okay to say no if someone tries to touch them or treats them in a way that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and to get out of the situation as quickly as possible.

4. Children need to know that they can tell you or a trusted adult if they feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.

5. Children need to know that there will always be someone to help them, and they have the right to be safe.

What is the biggest myth surrounding this issue?

The biggest myth is that the dangers to children come from strangers. In the majority of cases, the perpetrator is someone the parents or child knows, and that person may be in a position of trust or responsibility to the child and family.

What advice would you offer a parent who wanted to talk to their child about this issue?

Parents should choose opportunities or “teachable” moments to reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your community, and your child asks you about it, speak frankly but with reassurance. Explain to your children that you want to discuss the safety rules with them, so that they will know what to do if they are ever confronted with a difficult situation. Make sure you have “safety nets” in place, so that your children know there is always someone who can help them.

Tips reprinted from Know the Rules…General Parental Tips to Help Keep Your Children Safer. Copyright© 2000 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(NCMEC). All rights reserved.

In the Village Voice this week, a story called:  "Mutant Bike Gangs of New York:  Tall bike clubs live free, ride high, and don’t want your stinking logos"

Seems that Brooklyn Industries was the target of some rather agressive graffiti. Check this story out at The Village Voice.

"Bike Culture Not for Sale," read the runny white lettering found
February 23 on the glass at the four Brooklyn Industries outlets in
Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Park Slope store’s assistant manager, McKenzie Rollins,
first spotted trouble when she came into work the morning before and
found someone had messed with the gate locks overnight. "They looked
like someone had inserted something—maybe a screwdriver—to screw them
up," she says, folding a retro ’80s T-shirt with a cut-out neck. "We
had to buy new locks."

The next morning, McKenzie found the graffiti. "They knew it
wouldn’t come off," she says. "This was malicious. They could have left
a note. They could have gotten in touch with us about their concerns."
But who could be so enraged by using a bike to pitch hipster duds?
Another saleswoman suggested something curious, that it was local
members of something called "tall-bike culture."

Sign your child up for Piper Summer School at the Old Stone House, Summer Shakespeare workshops for students ages 7-19. July 3-28.  Daily 9 am to 5pm.  (3 pm for ages 7-10).

I looked up Piper Theater online and found this about it and its founders John and Rachel McEneny. If McEneny rings a bell, he’s the beloved and WILDLY TALENTED theater teacher/director at MS 51. He’s obviously been doing a lot in Yonkers. AND NOW: he’s bringing PIPER THEATER TO BROOKLYN. WE ARE BLESSED.

Piper Theatre Productions was establishedin 2001 by John and Rachel McEneny to develop arts and culture in the City of Yonkers as a way to foster economic development, tourism, and an enhanced quality of life.

We work to develop emerging artists and produce artistic works for the entire community of Yonkers. In addition, through mentoring and collaboration with adults, we help young people to become creative, hardworking members of society.

For more information about PIPER THEATER AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE CALL: 718-768-3195, or e-mail oldstonehouse@verizon.net Public workshop performances will take place outdoors in JJ Byrne Park July 14, 26, 27 and 28.