New bright yellow signs with stick figures, meant to represent children crossing the street, are popping up all over the Slope. I saw two on First Street between 7th and 8th Avenues and quite a few on 8th Avenues; there are three schools in that vicinity (PS 321, Beth Elohim, Packer).

Good to see. Looks like a new effort to remind drivers that there are a lot of children around here.

A local woman posted on Park Slope Parents to say that she’s the latest victim of the neighborhood’s credit card fraud problem.

But this time it wasn’t someone buying gas in Florida or Texas. No, this time the credit card expenditures were far more local—and strangely extravagant. The following was on PSP this morning. I emailed the woman for permission to quote from her post and she agreed.

I
know
there
were
a
few
messages
a
couple
of
weeks
ago
about
people’s
credit
cards
used
in
FL.
Any
news
updates
on
this?
I
just
had
my
credit
card
used
to
buy
gourmet
kitchen
accessories
and
expensive
flower
deliveries
sent
to
someone
in
Brooklyn
(I
was
able
to
get
the
address
and
phone
#
where
the
delivery
went
and
had
it
stopped)
.

It is
driving
me
crazy
and
would
really
like
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
this.
All
I
know
is
that
the
one
and
only
transaction
I
made
in
the
neighborhood
over
the
phone
right
before
this
started was at [a local business].

If
anyone
has
any
more
information,
I’d
love
to
hear
what
you’ve
done.
Of
course
I’ve
already
canceled
the
card,
but
it
bums
me
out
to
think
I
can’t
shop
safely
around
here.

The victim of this fraud emailed me to say that she felt horrible that the store was named in the Par Slope Parents post as it was not supposed to be and they have removed the posting on the website.

I am wondering why if she mentioned the name of the store in the post she thought the store name would be removed?

According to her email, she doesn’t want to cause any business any harm. "I just find it curious that a couple of people said that [this particular business] is the legitimate purchase they made before the false charges started. 

In the meantime: "I am just trying to find any connections – you know foodie items? expensive
flowers? – we are all just looking for answers. I was so angry that I
was able to have the company recall the shipment from the UPS warehouse
before it got to the destination (I have the destination phone # and
address) and had them flag it as credit card fraud," she writes.

Her frustration was palpable. "I don’t buy
hundreds of dollars of kitchen gadgets for myself, why should someone
else enjoy them on my bill? (Although I could use the roasting pans and
lettuce knife they ordered…)"

An OTBKB reader wrote to say:

I read your blog occasionally, and I thought that you could perhaps connect this message with the blogging community that is talking about the caucuses today because I understand you don’t blog about politics all the time.

Today I voted at PS 10 on 7th Avenue in the Slope. I am worried about my district 4 because the machine is broken. They are collecting ballots in a cardboard box, and they also didn’t have my name on the voting list.

If voters’ advocates could intercept people before they go in to vote just to make them aware of this, perhaps it would go easier for people. I felt very frustrated and had to demand to speak to the election coordinator to figure out what to do, and I worry that other people may be put off and choose not to vote

I neglected to blog this last week but on Friday January 25 at 9 am, I was conducting a PS 321 Yearbook meeting with a group of about ten women. We were sitting in the back room at Sweet Melissa’s. One of the women had her bag stolen off of her chair.

Afterwards, quite a few of us remembered seeing a man sit down at an adjacent table. He left quickly. None of us thought anything of it until our friend realized that her bag had been stolen.

Yeah, I know. It happens all the time in NYC and it’s a big no no to leave your bag on a chair. I had two bags stolen from Fanelli’s in SoHo because I put it on my chair.

I guess it took two losses for me to get it. DUH.

But I think people in Park Slope tend to leave their purses everywhere: on chairs in restaurants, on strollers, etc.

So this is just a wake up call. Don’t leave your bag unattended or on the chair you are sitting at local restaurants. I’m sure every purse snatcher in town knows that many in Park Slope leave their bags hanging…

Screams from the The Gate and other bars on Fifth Avenue made their way to Third Street after the Giants upset the New England Patriots in an unbelievably exciting fourth quarter. Teen Spirit’s friend called from Fifth Avenue. “Come on out, you’re going to miss the party.”

Off he went. I’m hoping he’ll call in with a report from the scene on Fifth Avenue. The screaming continues and it’s 10:40.

What a stunner. 17-14 and Brooklyn is in a state of joy.

YAY TEAM!

TS is back now: He said that there was a screaming crowd at Fifth Avenue and Fifth. A cop car slowed down and everyone got quiet. Then the cops put their siren on and everyone cheered. In front of The Gate someone was running around holding a cardboard Tom Brady. “You know what this is?,” the man screamed. “This is Tom Brady’s head.”

Club Loco, the under-21 club in Park Slope which
celebrated its first anniversary last month, is seeking parents of
teens interested in helping to plan its future.

On average about 50 teens attend each of the events (held one Saturday
evening each month), and many local bands are eager to perform. It’s a
unique venue because only teens are present–except for the
20-something chaperone volunteers, sound manager, and security guard.
No parents are allowed in; Club Loco belongs to the teens.

The scene is more relaxed and less high-pressure than other venues such
as bars, and offers new bands an opportunity to perform even when they
can’t yet promise a huge following. We hope to expand to other kinds of
music than rock and to audiences from a larger area. 

It’s clear that Club Loco has reached a solid presence in Park Slope.
But its founder Lois Wingerson (a member of Old First Church on Seventh
Avenue where the events take place) doesn’t have either the expertise
or the local contacts to help it grow. (She doesn’t live in Park Slope and doesn’t
know many people in the area.) It’s high time for others to take an
active role in decision-making.

In short, at one year of age Club Loco is now mature enough to need a
board to decide policy issues and plan future direction, and also to
carry out simple tasks such as managing email communications and
publicity, doing simple background checks on young adult volunteers,
and making booking arrangements for old favorite bands or new prospects
that contact Club Loco via email or Myspace.

We’re seeking four or five Park Slope
residents, preferably parents of teenagers in the area, who are willing
to collaborate in moving Club Loco toward its next season.

For further information, or to volunteer, please contact Lois at lwingerson@nyc.rr.com
or 917-583-5273.

New York Moon is an internet-based publication adhered to the lunar phases of the real waxing, waning moon. It is collection of experimental, reflective, and imaginative projects that unfold in any medium. The Moon culminates in an “illumination” with each month’s full moon. The Moon will also take physical form in various ways – one month it may be wheat pasted on a wall and the next it may appear as a prospectus left carelessly on a subway seat. At the beginning of the cycle Moon editors and contributors get together and talk about what projects they propose for the next edition. The month is spent working on the projects and tweaking concepts. After publication, a project doesn’t end. There is always the potential for someone to send something to be included on a past project’s page. The Moon is in flux and these rules may be scrapped in the future.

The theme of their latest issue is “underground.” On the site, you can see a filmed performance in the abandoned Atlantic Avenue Tunnel; the images of this event are really interesting. Someone involved with the publication got in touch with me. He thought OTBKB readers would be interested; I think he’s right.

The Moon is an experimental publication and in this edition we had the theme of “underground.” Our chief project was to film a cello performance in the abandoned Atlantic Avenue Tunnel.

The other projects – an interview with an urban explorer, a short history of the Calvary Cemetery, and a dispatch from Istanbul – all deal with the theme of underground in a different way.

I thought it would be interesting to your readers just because the Atlantic Avenue tunnel is something that everyone walks over daily, but few people know it exists or its history. They have tours, too: the next one is Sunday, February 17th, Sunday – 1 p.m. – reservations can be made with the Brooklyn Historic Rail Association at 718 941 3160.

The BHRA let us down in the tunnel to film the performance. Our group is a bunch of artists, writers, and designers who just got together to create the kinds of projects we want: we don’t have any funding or anything. We spend a lot of time on this, though!

In his Bklinks section, Gowanus Lounge says that Gothamist has the story behind the continually changing exhibition of homemade posters that someone posts in their window. I’ve been wondering about those for years.

There’s also a pix of a poster that says:

If Bluto
Attacks
Popeye
From the Rear
Will Oive Oyl
Help?

That’s because she just won the $15,000 grand prize from the Brooklyn Public Library to open a Brooklyn bookstore.

Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo, who runs the Written Nerd blog, won the big prize at the library’s fourth annual Power Up! business-plan competition, a contest open to those in Brooklyn who want to start a business or need capital for expansion.

Congrats to Jessica, who lives in Park Slope. Here are the other Power Up Winners:

1st Place
$15 K – Book Nerd Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo

2nd Place
$5 K – Soul Sister Quisine Nicole Gates
$5 K – Matari Lukango Victoria Watson

Merit Award
$750 – Still Hip Marcie Bohan & Gabrielle Napolitano-Swift
$750 – Brooklyn Creative League Erin Carney & Neil Carlson
$750 – BK Telecom Kevin Byrdsong

Honorable Mention
$500 – Museum of Magic Rory Feldman
$500 – Steven’s Consulting Jennifer Stevens
$500 – Semiology Kathleen Rhew
$500 – Handmaiden Ilana Kavadlo

Ted Gordon, the co-owner of the Second Street Cafe, told Dana Rubinstein at the Brooklyn Paper, that you can’t run a restaurant on lunches and brunches alone.

The cafe never seemed very crowded at dinner time. I went there few times over the years but it wasn’t my first choice for dinner.

Maybe that’s because I always thought of Second Street as a great place for coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Truly, they did do a great job with lunch (their goat cheese salad was one of my faves) It was one of my favorite Seventh Avenue place to meet friends and family for the mid-day meal. I never considered going there for Sunday brunch because it was always so crowded and a wait was almost certain.

Gordon told the Brooklyn Paper that business fell off a few years ago. I wonder if he’s just talking about the dinner business because I didn’t notice a change in the popularity of their lunch and brunch. Apparently, the renovation was part of an effort to improve business. Sadly, that effort failed or didn’t reap any benefits.

Maybe it was removing the customer drawings from the walls and ceilings; moving the front door from Seventh Avenue to 2nd Street could have been part of it. I was in there for lunch recently and the food seemed the same as ever. Sweet Melissa’s may have cut into their breakfast and lunch crowd, as well.

According to the Brooklyn Paper, the landlord raised the rent to $12,000, which was just one more reason for their demise.

But I don’t know where they’re moving.

Yesterday on a tour of the Middle School for Math and Science Explorations, a local middle school which shares space with Khalil Gibran International Academy (KGIA) and the Brooklyn High School for the Arts, my group was told by the Parent Coordinator that Khalil Gibran will be leaving the building at the end of the school year. “We have it in writing,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if she meant the end of this school year or next (2009).

The middle school shares the large cafeteria with KGIA (and the high school) although the different schools are never there at the same time. When KGIA (which the Parent Coordinator pronounced kagiya) moves out, middle schoolers will no longer have a 10:15 am lunch period on some school days due to overuse of the cafeteria.

Other than that, the three school have nothing to do with one another.

There also happens to be an article in today’s New York Sun about a nasty clash outside of City Hall yesterday about the Khalil Gibran International Academy:

Yesterday, opponents of Khalil Gibran said the school is “in chaos” and that it is at risk of becoming a mouthpiece for violent radical Islamic ideology. They said they are going to court to force the Department of Education to turn over documents proving the school’s curriculum is safe and reasonable, as the city has been arguing.

The press conference turned into a commotion of shouting matches when supporters of the school, who came with cameras and a press release of their own, began firing back and accusing the school’s opponents of bigotry.

Check out Brooklynometry. She is applying to public middle schools for her 5th grade daughter. Just like me. Her piece perfectly characterizes the panic I am feeling right now. Applications are due on Monday and we’re all in a tizzy.

Thanks Brooklynometry for Last Exit to Middle School.

AWP: The Association of Writers and Writing Programs, an annual conference and book fair is in town and some of the participants are coming out to Park Slope on Thursday night at 8 p.m. That’s January 31st at 8 p.m.

. Brooklyn Reading Works is located at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. Fifth Avenue and Third Street in Park Slope. Take the F-train to Fourth Avenue or Union Street and walk. The R train to Union Street. Directions are here. For information or questions: 718-288-4290 (if you get lost or need better directions).

WORD GIRLS with poets published by Word Tech: BARBARA CROOKER, MEREDITH DAVIES HADAWAY, KIM GARCIA, ERIN MURPHY. OPEN MIC TO FOLLOW. Starts at 8 p.m. Note to readers: I will be reading at the open mic.

Somehow I missed this story. This from WNBC

Police said they responded Thursday afternoon to a 911 call about a child having a seizure. Investigators said 2-year-old Carly Silberman was rushed to a hospital. She was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Authorities said they don’t suspect foul play in the girl’s death, but the medical examiner will determine how she died.

Calls to

Honeydew Drop Child Care in Park Slope wasn’t immediately returned Thursday evening.

Second Street Cafe was closed on Friday: there was paper up in the windows and it really looked closed for good. An employee told someone at Park Slope Parents that they were suddenly laid off a few days ago. They were given two days notice.

What is going on? Does anyone know?

The best florist in New York City is adding something fun to their roster.

In the spirit of their new Fifth Avenue neighbor, “Get Fresh” and their “ready to cook meals to go”….
Zuzu’s Petals is introducing:” Zuzu To Go”…

A small gathering of Fresh Cut Flowers in a frosted Lavender or Lime take-out food box.

Doesn’t that sound nice? Order ahead and we’ll have it ready for pick-up.

Starting around $25.00 and up depending on the ingredients.
Big Zu 718 638-0918
Little Zu 718 636-2022

Dear Readers,

I will be out of the borough for couple of days (and far from my computer) so there will be no OTBKB posts on Saturday and Sunday. However, No Words_Daily Pix will be up and running.

Posts will resume Sunday night/Monday morning. Sorry for the disruption in service.

Have a great weekend.

Louise

It’s all about racing shopping carts down the streets of NYC. Hepcat has a friend who is participating. For those in the dark about this event here’s some quick info from their website.

The Iditarod is the famous long-distance race in which yelping dogs tow a sled across Alaska. The IDIOTAROD is pretty much the same thing, except that instead of dogs, it’s people, instead of sleds, it’s shopping carts, and instead of Alaska it’s New York City.

The fifth annual event happens January 26, 2008. Teams of five will race for cash prizes and glory.

According to a post on Park Slope Parents, a customer service supervisor at Barnes and Noble told the woman who was kicked out of the store because her son was making a ruckus that the store manager’s actions were justified.

What ever happened to “the customer is always right?”

The woman who was kicked out of the store posted about it on Park Slope Parents. She then received an email ostensibly from someone at Barnes and Noble suggesting that she speak to a customer service supervisor at their 800 number. Here’s what happened.

I just had the oddest phone conversation with a supervisor from B&N
customer service. Apparently B&N customer service not only read the
email I sent them but read the posts and responses on Park Slope
Parents. I received an email asking me to call a customer service
supervisor at their 800 number. I called and was surprised to find out
that the she wasn’t interested in apologizing or explaining the store
manager’s actions but rather in pointing out that I had disrupted
their business (i.e. because my questions held up the line although
there were, I think, two people in line and at least three cashiers
working at the time) and that this was, according to B&N policy,
grounds for throwing me and my son out of the store.

Although her lack of concern for the poor customer service isn’t
really all that surprising, I am disturbed by the idea that B&N
customer service representatives read Park Slope Parents. I know PSP
isn’t an exclusive club but, up until now, I thought the participants
were parents and members of the community. I’ve posted some fairly
personal concerns about myself and my family on this list–I’ll be
much more wary of doing so in the future.

I guess you never know who’s reading your posts…

If you’re between the ages of 14 and 20, come to the anniversary show at Club Loco, Brooklyn’s newest music venue located at Old First Church on 7th Avenue between Carroll and President Street and hear: Henry Crawford, Random Child, Jet Lag and Banzai.

For ages 14-20, it’s a fun place to see new bands and meet new people. No adults allowed!

To get in you must have a high school ID or any other form of photo ID – passports, drivers licences or permits, plus proof of age.

Club Loco is open Saturday night a month Sept-May and offer all kinds of music. Cover $5. Snacks sold inside.

Brenda in her blog, A Year in the Park, chronicles her daily discoveries in Prospect Park. A Wasps’ nest, wild horses, and ingredients for a country dinner from the Farmer’s Market at Grand Army Plaza.

Paul LaRosa in his new blog, The Murder Book 2008, intends to record all the murders in New York City in 2008 that appear in the city’s three daily newspapers.

Paul LaRosa is the man to do it.

A resident of Park Slope, La Rosa is an award-winning journalist who has worked in print and television journalism for more than 25 years.

And now he’s a blogger.

As a reporter for the Daily News in the mid-80s, LaRosa was co-winner with Anna Quindlen of the Meyer Berger Award given by Columbia University’s Journalism School.

Since 1990, LaRosa has worked in broadcast television for CBS News, mostly as a producer for the newsmagazine “48 Hours.” He’s won two national Emmys, one of them a Primetime Emmy for the highly-praised CBS documentary “9/11.” LaRosa was one of the producers of that documentary and in 2003 he was awarded a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award.

He is also the author of Tacoma Confidential (a True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief’s Secret Life) and a new book called, Nightmare in Napa, a true story of a murder in California Wine Country.

So far, LaRosa’s been blogging since January 1. I know he’s got the stamina to keep this up. He wrote two true crime books in the last four years and that’s pretty impressive. The man’s quite prolific.

Welcome to Blogland, Paul.

I got this detailed letter from an OTBKB reader who is sad about the new Union Hall stroller ban:

I’m sad about Union Hall’s new rule. 

I agree with you that in
the evening hours, or when there is a loud event or band, Union Hall is
not a great place for young kids.  And I agree that kids should not be
served liquor.  No question about that.  But during the weekdays and
soon after they open on weekends (12 noon) I think it was a great place
for parents to socialize and to bring their young kids along.

Were
I a suburbanite with a sprawling 3000 square foot house (or even a
house in Brooklyn, for that matter) my friends and I would gather at
our respective homes, let the kids run around and enjoy some good adult
conversation, and perhaps a drink.  In Brooklyn I live in a 650 square
foot apartment where we’ve carved out two bedrooms for my husband,
myself, our 14 mo. old son and an elderly deaf cat.  I can at most
invite 2 or 3 couples and their kids over to our living/dining/TV room
before we’re packed in like sardines. 

What’s the solution? 

Get
together out of the apartment, which is a great New York
tradition I might add.  In the summer time we’ll head to the park, or
go out to lunch with another couple and kids to one of the kid-friendly
restaurants in the Slope (although we live in Sunset Park).  In the
winter, sometimes we go to a bar during "off" hours with our kids, let
them run around, let the adults chat and have a drink whether it be
alcoholic or not.  We assume that a bar or bar/restaurant would be
happy to have some business during the off hours.

As for Union
Hall we celebrated our son’s first birthday there.  Yes, it was more of
a party for my husband and I celebrating our surviving our first year
of parenthood, but it was wonderful to have a place to sit and have
friends drop by, see us, and have a drink and some comestibles.  We
started at 12 noon on a Saturday and were gone by 2 when a young crowd
had gathered and a bocce tournament started.  The bar was empty except
for us from 12 noon until 1pm-ish and I don’t think we were in anyone’s
way.

I
lived in England on and off for about two years in another lifetime in
the late 80s/early 90s.  I loved the pubs during weekend afternoons
when families would arrive, have lunch, and see each other.  I’m sad
that the closest thing we have here, Union Hall, has shut down such an
environment. 

My 2 cents.  Perhaps I’ll feel differently when I no longer have a toddler. 

Here’s my guess: there are very good reasons why Union Hall had to enact a stroller/kid ban. I am guessing they didn’t really want to do it but they had to.

Coming soon: The true story from Union Hall. Stay tuned.

I’m not so sure. Yeah, it’s convenient if you don’t have a babysitter. But really, do parents need their kids with them when they’re having cocktails?

Oops, that sounds a tad judgmental. And I’ve had many a cocktail with my daughter in tow…

I’m just saying.

This issue comes up at on bar or another every few years ago. Who can forget the bartender at Patio on Fifth Avenue who wrote the now-famous (or infamous)  "No Stroller Manifesto" on an A-frame sandwich board outside that establishment.

Now, Union Hall says no to strollers and small children. And, according to Gowanus Lounge, for good reason. 

The word comes via a Union Hall employee that says the bar and popular
hangout has been having issues with minors being sent in as bait by the
police without ID. They have apparently been threatened with closure if
anyone under 21 is found on the premises. (Actually minors are legally
okay if they are with a parent or guardian.) Infants are still allowed,
but any kids that are old enough to walk are out as are strollers
because of "fire codes."

When I was in the English countryside in the late 1970’s, there with pubs that seemed to be gathering places for families with children and dogs. I loved the feeling of those places.

But this is NYC. And Union Hall is a grown up bar. I’d even go so far to say, it’s designed for the younger Park Slope crowd — you know, those people you only see at night and on weekends in Park Slope who live here in great numbers.

They need a place to hang out, too.

Union Hall is also a music space, which occasionally sponsors shows for teen bands like Care Bears on Fire. And don’t forget their Secret Science Club, spelling Bee’s, Name-that-Song nights and literary readings.

It’s a fun place. But they’re going to be put out of business if they break fire code or have people under 21 on the premises.

Don’t think that just because they have a huge Bocce court, it’s a place for kids. Or parents who don’t want to get a babysitter.

A press release from the office of Councilmember Bill de Blasio says it has news of a major development to help protect the character of Carroll Gardens. I’ll let those of you who have been following this issue closely be the judge of that. Here’s the press release:

"I along with community leaders, Brooklyn Community Board 6, and Carroll Gardens residents have brought to the Department of City Planning (DCP)’s attention concerns about the zoning implications of the ‘wide street’ definition in the R6 zoning district on 1st through 4th Place in Carroll Gardens. I am happy to announce that in response to these concerns, DCP has agreed to put forward an application for a change to the zoning text whereby these streets would be defined as ‘narrow streets’ for zoning purposes, permitting a lower Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and maximum building heights that are more in keeping with the surrounding character and context of the neighborhood."

Check out the Wafel and Dinges blog.

Learn about these amazing Belgian waffles sold from a truck that will be back in Park Slope February 9th. The owner told a friend of mine that he’s hoping that Marty Markowitz will stop by.

Maybe Marty will stop by on February 9th.

Plenty of Park Slopers are sure to stop by just like they did the last time W&D were Slope side. The truck will be parked in front of Key Food at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street. Wafel and Dinges seems to have a good feeling about Brooklyn.

It’s a done deal. Brooklyn has made a statement. A BIG statement. The two days we’ve been to Brooklyn so far (December 8, January 6), were some of the best days we’ve ever had. Plus it’s always nice weather when we go down there. So we’re going to make this a tradition. Every first Saturday of the month, we’ll be in Park Slope, on 7th Avenue and Carroll Street (at Key Foods).

Like all good rules, we start of course with a deviation of the rule. Our February day will be February 9th (Would anyone blame me for going to Belgium to celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday on February 2nd??). Look here for the rest of the schedule.

Someone sent me an email today  (maybe it was Jim Moore himself) bout a film premiering this week at Sundance called Man on Wire, which features photographs of Phillipe Petit by Jim Moore, a Brooklyn photographer.

Moore was Philippe’s right hand man during the planning of Petit’s walk on a high wire between the World Trade Towers.

The film, directed by James Marsh, recreates the preparation period prior to the World Trade Towers event. Moore followed Petit in the months prior to his clandestine walk.

More than 50 photographs are used by filmmaker James Marsh in this film. Moore is also interviewed in the film about his involvement.

For more information about Moore’s photographs go here: http://www.moorepics.com

The Associated Press reports that Heath Ledger, the 28-year-old Australian actor, was found dead today in the Soho apartment of Mary Kate Olsen, who was away in Los Angeles. The cause of death is unknown but it may be related to drug use.

Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his role in “Brokeback Mountain” and lived in Boerum Hill with Michelle Williams and their daugher Matilda until their break-up a year ago. Their movement around the Brooklyn neighborhood was followed by the local media with great interest. He recently appeared in the Bob Dylan bio-pic, “I Not There.”

The Brooklyn Eagle has the story of the Remsen Street arsenal.

The shocking discovery of a veritable arsenal of weapons — including pipe bombs and a crossbow — in a posh Brooklyn Heights co-op has given way to a further shocking discovery.

According to police, 31-year-old Ivaylo Ivanov has confessed to, and has been charged with, painting swastikas in the neighborhood in late September.

Ivanov, a Bulgarian immigrant who shared an apartment at 58 Remsen St. with pioneering AIDS researcher Dr. Michael Clatts, 50, has been charged with 23 counts of second-degree aggravated harassment and 23 counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief, all as hate crimes, said NYPD spokesman Sgt. Carlos Nieves.