Op-Ed Letters to the Editor
Tompkins tested
Stern
To The Editor:
Re “Henry Stern, 83,
Parks chief under two
mayors” (obituary,
April 4):
In my opinion,
Henry Stern was
the most visible,
popular and people
friendly Parks
Department commissioner
in the
history of New
York, and his dog,
which he claimed
was “the most petted
dog in New York,” was
even more popular.
Because of the 1988
police riot at Tompkins
Square Park and the Tent
City multiyear occupation
there, Stern was forced to
spend a lot of his time and
Parks resources on Tompkins
Square. Over the years, I observed
him in the park and at
meetings about it. Honestly, I
think he was confl icted on how
to handle it all since Ed Koch
ordered that the park should
continue to stay open 24/7,
which allowed Tent City to occupy
it for a long time. Stern
never actually evicted Tent
City, which was done by the
Dinkins administration.
Over all, I think that Stern
was about as compassionate to
Tent City and neighborhood
residents who resisted the closing
of the park as he could be,
considering the circumstances
and the media calls to close
Tompkins Square Park.
John Penley
For the record…
To The Editor:
Re “Ackers honor avantgarde’s
‘real heroes’” (arts article,
April 4):
I prepared a shortish acceptance
speech for the Acker
Awards, which I shelved because
Clayton made some
opening comment that he
didn’t want honorees yapping
too long (if at all) because of
time constraints.
So Phoebe was hustling artists
through who were acting
meek and quiet, like they were
in Catholic school. So I just
said a few words, feeling like I
PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER
Activist Power Malu was
an honoree at this year’s
Acker Awards.
was shortchanging myself and
the audience.
I planned to say that, as a
New York City native, I want
to thank myself for not getting
killed in any number of
ways, like fi ghting back while
getting mugged or bicycling
in New York City or playing
what’s now called parkour on
rooftops, public statues and
subway trains.
I’d like to publicly shame
the New York City Public Art
Fund and the Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council for never
helping me (or any artists I
know personally) do any public
sculpture projects in this
town.
And to other creatives here
tonight and around New York
City who are deserving or more
deserving than me of getting an
Acker, I can tell you there is no
prioritized rating system. Otherwise,
how could I be getting
one and someone like Al Diaz
still has not? (I gotta nominate
him for next year). So, hang in
there, your time will come!
Finally, I give a shout-out to
all artists to break rules, impose
their autonomy on society
and reject censorship to effect
everlasting positive cultural
transformation.
Linus Coraggio
The last straw
To The Editor:
Re “Cheers and fears
at traffi c pricing forum”
(news article, March
28):
I am a resident of
Brooklyn who works
in engineering in
New Jersey. Do I
have to get a new
job because I drive
to work due to the
distance? Mass
transit doesn’t
reach Lodi at 1
a.m. in the morning.
How about
people like me? Do I
walk away from a job
that’s going to cost me
more in tolls than “take
home pay?” Forty years
ago, this city was promoting
interstate employment.
But if this bill is in fact implemented,
I have no other choice
but to leave.
Paul Torres
‘Uneasy pals’
with Angels
To The Editor:
Re “Hells Angels ride off
from E. 3rd clubhouse” (news
article, March 14):
I lived across the street from
the place in the ’90s. I made
an early peace with them, as
a result of a harrowingly successful
night being drafted as a
pool partner to one of them at
the bar down the street, playing
the game of my life and
winning for us.
For the rest of my stay there,
I had a reserved parking spot
for my girlfriend’s car, and was
aided, sometimes violently, in
any disputes that arose. It was
like being uneasy pals with The
Punisher. Some of that found
its way into my fi rst novel.
Biff Thuringer
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libel. Anonymous letters will
not be published.
Singing praises
of Tin Pan Alley
BY COREY JOHNSON AND SARAH CARROLL
Preservation has the power to revitalize communities, support
economic development, drive investment into existing
buildings and bring pride of place across all fi ve boroughs.
Architectural icons such as the Chrysler Building, Grand
Central Terminal and the Brooklyn Bridge are essential to the
character of New York City. Historic districts, such as Greenwich
Village and Crown Heights, contain blocks of 19th-century
residential architecture that are a draw to residents and visitors
alike.
While New Yorkers recognize
the need to protect architecturally
signifi cant places, the importance
of protecting places
with cultural and historical
signifi cance is just as vital.
Given the divisiveness
across the country, with attacks
on the social liberties
Protecting
cultural and
historical
signifi cance
is vital.
of immigrants, people of color,
women and the L.G.B.T.
community, now more than
ever, it is important for the city
to recognize and tell the stories of
all the New Yorkers that shaped the
city’s history and built environment. These include the stories
of immigration and migration, social justice and civil rights, and
the places of arts and culture.
On March 12, the Landmarks Preservation Commission proposed
fi ve buildings on W. 28th St. for designation that represent
one of the most important and most diverse contributions
to popular culture. These buildings, located in a block known as
Tin Pan Alley, were home to the most signifi cant concentration
of sheet-music publishers in New York City.
While on this block — so named to describe the audible racket
of piano music that made 28th St. sound “like a tin pan alley” —
these fi rms revolutionized the music-publishing industry’s practices
for the creation, promotion and consumption of popular
music as we know it today.
The history that’s often overlooked is that the sheet-music industry
gave unprecedented opportunities to African-American
and Jewish composers as mainstream songwriters and music
publishers. The fi rst black-owned and black-operated music
publishing businesses in the United States had offi ces on this
block; some of these songwriters deliberately tried to rework stereotypes
that were popular in music of the time because of the
infl uence of minstrel shows and American vaudeville.
Culture is part of every place and building, and it is essential
that the Commission continue to identify and preserve the most
signifi cant cultural, as well as architectural, buildings and sites.
Preservation of places of cultural and historic signifi cance can
be diffi cult because the L.P.C. is a regulatory agency. Designation
means regulating the architectural details of a building or
site to retain the physical fabric that ties the existing building to
its historical signifi cance. But the L.P.C., with the support of the
City Council, is committed to this important work. We will continue
to prioritize this work because we believe that designation
of places that refl ect the city’s diversity will continue to make
New York City distinctive and help connect us to the past.
Johnson is speaker of the New York City Council and represents
Council District 3, home to Tin Pan Alley. Carroll is chairperson
of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Schneps Media TVG April 11, 2019 13
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