Harlem 26.2

Having a non-traditional child (our cat Cimbi), articles like this one on a Wednesday public schools Town Hall meeting at St. Mary's Church usually fly below our radar. However, this one hit close to home, like right across the street close to home, when a teacher from P.S. 149 was quoted:

[Teacher Pat] Sherwood said that Harlem's P.S. 149, on W. 117th St., was particularly problem-ridden. "There's a lack of professionalism from the administration," she said. "It pushes teachers, rushes teachers ... There's a major investigation going on within the administration. We don't know the full story. This lack of communication has to stop."

Another choice quote includes: Avis Sylvester, a teacher at P.S. 149, said that she had "seen books in the garbage" at other schools. "Some schools have too much and don’t know what to do with it, and others don't have enough," she said. "I couldn't stand to look at the garbage—good textbooks were thrown out."

For more, including quotes from State Sen. Bill Perkins, click through to the full Columbia Spectator article.

With We Own The Night and Illegal Tender in theaters, American Gangster soon to be released and nary a film crew in sight, I was beginning to question my nabe's champion status as a movie set. My doubts are erased.

Under New Management, starring Kal Penn of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle fame, will be filming on 118th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell tomorrow, Friday the 26th.

Despite Penn's comedic talents, the synopsis leads me to believe he may be branching out into a Michael Douglas-style Wall Street suspense thriller: Two co-workers send their boss on a sex cruise and then turn office into party central, causing profits to soar in the process.

Below is a letter about Craig from Raquel Granda, Director of Cathedral Community Cares.

Craig started working at the Cathedral in November of 2003 as a VISTA volunteer for CCC. He was 22 years old, just out of college, and excited about the chance to live in the very "heart" where everything happens. His task was to strengthen the work of the Upper West Side Colloquium Against Poverty, which consisted of about 5 emergency food providers in the Morningside Heights/West Harlem area. The group wanted to have a VISTA volunteer coordinate its efforts. It was important that the group met regularly, that there were minutes, and an agenda, not just a lot of discussion about poverty. As soon as Craig started his work with the group, membership expanded and the group was able to accomplish a number of projects: a membership agreement and mission statement (as well as the changing of the group's name to "West Harlem Action Network Against Poverty, or WHANAP), the publication of a resource guide, the sharing of a web database, and a Community Supported Agriculture Project, better known as the "West Harlem CSA."

Through his ability to build relationships as an organizer and using his creativity and intelligence he fundraised for the continued coordination of WHANAP and stayed on as the Cathedral's Community Organizer after his VISTA year was completed.

Just this week, we ended the first West Harlem CSA growing season. This collaborative initiative ensured that fresh produce would reach low-income families and the emergency food programs he worked with through WHANAP. This project was close to his heart. He was passionate about the issues of hunger. He understood that combating this issue was not just about feeding people but that it involved getting the freshest and best nutrition to everyone regardless of one's income.

Each week Craig also sent out the "Feed the Solution" newsletter. This newsletter informed church leaders, program heads and volunteers what was going on with social policy issues on hunger and the advocacy work needed to change the systemic issues that lead to hunger. He participated in lobby days in Albany and Washington DC, speaking directly to elected state and federal officials. He testified about his own experience with the Food Stamp program in front of the City Council's welfare committee. He was in constant communication with the City Council office, working on setting up meetings for WHANAP members so that they had an opportunity to talk about what was wrong with the food distribution system and how to make it better.

He worked tirelessly to make sure that these small emergency food programs had the tools necessary to do their job as best as possible. This included sending out pleas on "Craigslist" for things like computers, volunteers and materials.

Although to many his dress screamed hipster, youth and rebellion his demeanor was completely adult and self-assured. The CCC staff sometimes poked fun at his vegan lifestyle. However his lifestyle was consistent with his personal convictions. He was passionate about ending cruelty to animals, changing the food systems in this country, and was critical about how things were made and produced. Craig talked about the problem with sweatshops and labor and then unlike many others, he only purchased "non-sweat" items. He inspired us every day.

He served as a mentor to many VISTA volunteers at the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. He always took the time to explain to them the projects he was working on and how they could create similar opportunities for others. In his free time he even started a volunteer service, Right Rides for Women's Safety, to make sure that someone was available to walk women home late at night in his Williamsburg neighborhood.

An active listener who would let you know that he understood when he gave his beautiful smile and someone who was the embodiment of what social justice means at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine….this is why Craig Murphey will be sorely missed.

Regards,

Raquel Granda, Director

Cathedral Community Cares
1047 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10025
212-316-7583
fax-316-7582

· basic understanding of boating rules and safety procedures
· working knowledge of rowing commands
· basic proficiency in sculling with some sweep rowing
· essential river etiquette and rules
· steering commands for bowing and coxing

You don't need to be an athlete, tall, or extraordinarily fit to participate. Classes accommodate people at most fitness levels and ages. It's mandatory for safety reasons, however, that you are a strong swimmer.

*WHEN?*

There are *two sessions available, running concurrently from October 6 through November 3. *

*Session 1:* Saturdays (8–11 am) and Tuesday evenings (5:30–7:30 pm)

*first weekend is both Saturday AND Sunday

*Session 2:* Sundays (8–11 am) and Thursday evenings (5:30–7:30 pm)

*first weekend is both Saturday AND Sunday, last class is a Saturday

It's extremely important that you're available for ALL classes in your session, as skills are cumulative. Please contact us with scheduling concerns. *Weekday evening classes may be pushed back to 6pm if there is sufficient demand.*

*HOW?*

Calendar clear? *Reserve your spot in class by emailing Kate, the LTR coordinator, at **kate [at] harlemriverboatclub [dot] org** to indicate your interest in session 1 or 2.* A signed waiver and payment must be received before your place in class is confirmed. It's first come, first served, but if you don't nab a spot, we'll put you on the wait list in case someone drops out before class begins. After that, we'll keep you posted on next season's learn-to-row schedule.

*COST?*

$150 (reduced fees are available for participants who qualify) Sorry, no refunds once classes start!

*WHERE?*

Practice takes place on the Harlem River at Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx. The Park is accessible by the 4 Train, MetroNorth (Morris Heights station) and the Bx40, Bx42 and Bx 18 buses.

*QUESTIONS?* Email Kate at kate [at] harlemriverboatclub [dot] org.

Sharpton's National Action Network Seems To Be Missing Tax Filings. [Post]

Condoleezza Rice to be Rep. Charles Rangel's guest today at the Harriet Tubman school, P.S. 154. [Sun]

Small group tours Manhattanville with Community Board 9's urban planner. [Columbia Spectator]

Profile of Khalil Islam, the man who says he didn't shoot Malcolm X. [New York Magazine]

And in Bill O'Reilly news...

Harlem-born Daily News Editorialist Errol Louis defends O'Reilly, saying his comments were misrepresented, as does NPR's Juan Williams.

Harlem's most renowned distance runner would be Ted Corbitt, the first President & founding member of the New York Road Runners. Lance also includes a write up on Ted today as well.

The Mayor supports Columbia's expansion. [Post]

The Borough President supports Columbia's expansion. [Times]

Both the Mayor and the Borough President support Columbia's expansion. [Sun]

Columbia's $32.5 million pledge for affordable housing, a park and landscaping for public housing. [Sun]

Something not expansion related, Lee Bollinger's sharp rebuke of Ahmadinejad. [Sun]

On real estate...

Former Bagel in Harlem gets some ink in the Sun for Into The Box, and in today's Video Of The Day "we look at the mass exodus of minorities from Manhattan and how our tiny island is beginning to look a lot like a saltine cracker."

Overseas investors take advantage of the weak dollar and buy up US. [Sun]

The Post lists a sample Harlem listing and sale:

Listing: Harlem three-bedroom, $755,000
A 1,085-square-foot family apartment with two baths at the Langston, a new-construction condo building on Bradhurst Avenue at 145th Street. Amenities include a doorman and courtyard with playground. Another plus: Buyers will not have to pay New York City transfer taxes. Agent: Sidney Whelan, Halstead Property, (212) 381-2346

Sale: $387,000
330 W. 145th St.
Two-bedroom, one-bath co-op, 801 square feet, with park views; Hamilton building is pet-friendly and features doorman, garage, gym and terrace. Maintenance $757.09, 40 percent tax-deductible. No board approval. Asking price $399,000, on market nine weeks.
Brokers: Neil Tilbury and Tony Von Meyers, Halstead Property

On everything else...

More on Bill O'Reilly's menu selection of his own foot at Sylvia's. [Times]
& [amNewYork]

Is Rangel outshining Schumer? [Sun]

The Harlem Quartet shows orchestra is not just for stodgy old people. [Times]

Checking out of Fairway one night years ago during my first week in New York, I watched the slimeball Yuppie ahead of me in line slip the girl who bagged his groceries a ten spot. He then gave his chin a quick cocky upturn as he told her to have a good night. It just didn't register. Fairway was in such a dirty, desolate area; it didn't make sense that someone would have that much disposable cash.

I now understand that the slimeball was probably on his way home to Westchester. The only thing I knew of the area at the time was what I saw on the walk down from my Riverside Drive sublet: old parted out Volvos and Mercedes under the Henry Hudson Parkway, dark empty streets, random pools of oil, and the overpowering stench of bum urine at the base of the Riverside Drive viaduct on St. Clair Place. The place was a dump.

So it strikes me as odd that people are all up in arms about Columbia expanding into Manhattanville. The area has been better in recent years, with Dinosaur, the Hudson River Cafe, and Floridita's tapas bar providing a little night life, but it is largely still an underutilized brownfield. It is not zoned residential, and Columbia already owns most of it. Plus, the Columbia expansion will be such a job creation machine, which I think few people will argue Harlem does not need.

There is the idea of displacing people in the surrounding neighborhoods. People argue that as Columbia improves the general area, rents will go up. But here too the response has been baffling. As best as I can tell from watching this unfold, it goes something like this:

Professional anti-gentrification protesters who have been 'fighting Columbia gentrification' for decades see the expansion as their time to shine. I mean, there is actually something going on now. The professional anti-gen protesters argue that the area should be kept as it is to preserve the community. Hell, they argue that maybe we should even bring back manufacturing in the process (I am not making this up). They don't want to see big new glassy buildings built, especially luxury housing, so the protesters help create what is called a 197a plan with the local Community Board. The plan outlines what the area should look like, and it does not include all kinds of new fancy stuff.

Columbia has their plan, called the 197c. Surprisingly, this plan includes their campus expansion.

The professional anti-gen protesters end up rallying around Tuck-It-Away Storage owner Nick Sprayregen, as he is the most vocal property owner in the expansion zone not to sell to Columbia. The protesters end up carrying Sprayregen's No Eminent Domain banner in their push to keep the status quo. But, it turns out that the storage owner doesn't just want to keep his storage business, he wants to build housing too. And it just might be market rate luxury housing. Sprayregen both floats an idea in the Daily News for swapping property with Columbia so that he can build a high-rise and submits his own 197c plan. Despite Nick's 197c plan including the creation of market rate housing, some of the professional anti-gen protesters support it, which makes one wonder who is paying them.

Meanwhile, real estate investors are buying property in the area. (Foreshadowing!) They are doing this all over Manhattan, but we are only concerned with the Manhattanville area.

Then the Borough President comes along. He sees that Columbia wants to expand their campus, and he sees that anti-gen protesters want the area to stay the same. So he offers his special zoning plan, which would allow Columbia to create their campus expansion in Manhattanvile and at the same time keep surrounding areas as they are- without big new buildings. It sounds like a win for everyone! Except, we have the real estate investors from the previous paragraph.

To sum up best how the real estate investors see this playing out, let's go to one of the all-time best quotes ever published in Curbed. This is from an investor in the Columbia area, feeling a bit of zoning stress:

Fuck it, I say. Manhattan is one big joke. I think they should let highrises go up anywhere at this point. What's the point of communities on the island anymore?

Everyone's so priced out, does it matter anymore?

If you want a neighborhood/community, move to Brooklyn.

Let Manhattan be just one big bullshit skyscraper. Tower of Motherfuckin' Babel. But for douchebags.

And the Lord spoke and said, "Let us make sure these douchebags do not understand each other, less they build a Tower of Douchieness. Let one douchebag not understand the other." And thus the languages of Goldman, Lehman, and Morgan were formed and the Lord saw it and it was good.

What does this mean? Well, real estate investors probably bought the property they did at a premium with the idea that they could create higher density housing to justify the price. If the area is zoned in such a way that they are prevented from building high density housing, then a couple of things might happen: (1) the real estate investors will want to kick out everyone currently living there so that they can up the rent in the places they do have, or (2) the rents and prices will increase due to demand, as who does not love a low-rise community, and they are becoming so rare in Manhattan.

Additional reading:
West Harlem Rezone to Appease Columbia Foes? [Curbed]
Rezoning May Ease Columbia Expansion [Sun]

The Harlem River Boat Club is thrilled to host a kick-off barbecue this Sunday, September 30, at 1pm, to gather friends old and new as we prepare to get on the water! Our tentative on-water date is October 6!

Come learn about:

*Learn-To-Row classes
*Open Rowing sessions
*Volunteer Opportunities

Please share this invite with friends! If you cannot attend, please check our website for updates, or email info [at harlemriverboatclub [dot] org with any questions. We look forward to seeing you soon!

As a commenter on Bwog sums up Columbia President Lee Bollinger's firm criticism of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: ho. lee. shit.

Salon says that Bollinger's speech to the dictator is "likely to go down in history as one of the most bold and critical set-ups in modern memory."

For blog coverage of the event, check out:
Bwog (from where I stole the photo)
Gawker (with link to footage from CNN)
Gothamist
City Room

And from the MSM:
Times
Post
Sun
Sun Editorial
Newsday