Letitia James Will Fight for Her Political Life

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Louis_eErrol Louis writes in the Daily
News: “…City Councilwoman Letitia James, a vocal
critic of Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development plan, may have to fight for
her political life this summer. James – who first got elected to office on the
Working Families Party line in a special election after the assassination of
James Davis in 2003 – is ineligible to run as a Dem in an overwhelmingly
Democratic district.”

“…
she could face a tough general election race against a pro-development Democrat
this fall, unless (she gets) special permission to run in its primary …
James’ entrenched opposition to Atlantic Yards has strained her ties
with the pro-jobs, union-backed Working Families Party, which generally
supports Ratner’s plan.

"I have yet to hear anyone say, ‘We will not
support you because of your position on Atlantic Yards,’" James says. But
about 20 neighborhood residents, upset about James’ opposition, recently
picketed the councilwoman’s office.” Read
more…

Categories: Letitia James, Ratner and the Nets Stadium

$1500/mo, 3-bedroom on Park Pl. btw Franklin and Classon

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600_park_plJose needs a few neighbors: "There are two apartments available in my building, a 2bdrm and a 3bdrm, on the first and second floors, respectively. The apartments are newly renovated, pet-friendly and filled with 20-somethings. Please contact me if you’d like to see the units at 600 Park Place btwn Franklin and Classon Aves. I’m doing this as a favor for the landlord. The landlord’s asking 1250 for the 2bdrm and 1500
for the 3bdrm. There might be another 3bdrm opening up on the first floor,
too."

Categories: Apartments for Rent

[UPDATE] Director Targeted for "Walking While Black" in Prospect Heights?

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Seith_mannHere’s one for the next 77th Precinct Community Council meeting.

CBS 2 INVESTIGATES: "Seith Mann says he didn’t commit a crime and was walking in front of his own house when four plain-clothed officers stopped him … ‘The
officer that was behind me. He pulls out a gun and holds it up like
this (hold hand over his head) and he’s like "This is your gun! This is
your gun!" and I thought they were going to plant this gun on me,’ says
Mann."

"Seith Mann, an award winning film producer, had no gun
and no criminal record. He was walking home when police demanded to
search him … ‘I think they targeted me because I’m black.  There is nothing I was doing that was remotely suspicious,’ says Mann."

dailyheights INVESTIGATES:

Remarkably, the ambiguity of the "This is your gun!" incident parallels one of Mann’s favorite themes: "I like situations that are morally ambiguous," FilmMaker Magazine quotes him as saying. Mann, born 1973, won Best Short Film at the 2003 First Run Film Festival for five deep breaths (original score by Jason Moran).The film also won 1st prize, Graduate Division, NYU Tisch School Top Student Films, 2003. The film was also presented at Cannes in 2003. Here’s his filmography on the Festival de Cannes website.

And here’s FilmMaker’s synopsis of five deep breaths: "Although it’s set at an all-black college, (the film) evokes the suspense and tension of a classic western.
When a campus girl is violated, her brother and his friends form a
posse to avenge her honor – a mission that, with shades of Unforgiven,
upends their own notions of masculinity."

Other film credits to Seith Mann’s name include Too Close to the Darkside (1995), Mineral Springs (1996), Well (1997) and The Apology (1999). Seith Mann was also film editor on Kiss It Up To God, a film presented at Festival De Cannes in 2000. Note: not Sieth. Seith.

Categories: Crime, Mischief, and Tomfoolery, Prospect People

"First Gourmet Store" in Prospect Heights

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Delicacieslogoset speed pointed out this Chowhound thread on Delicacies (Brooklyn Delicacies), which bills itself as "Prospect Heights’ first gourmet store." (639 Vanderbilt Avenue at Prospect Pl.; 718-622-1255)

Here’s some distilled wisdom from the Chowhound thread:

Owners are nice, helpful, and can make recommendations … open to suggestions
… Cheeses well kept, reasonably priced, but selection may not be as big as Blue Apron or Bierkraft
… Some products seem pricey; Fig bread cheaper than at Bierkraft
… Shop is clean and airy, but design is “poor”; narrowish space; “awkward” shopping experience
… “Excellent” olive bar
Breads from Pain D’Avignon daily
… May eventually have more prepared foods as well as charcuterie.

Categories: Food and Drink (incl. Restaurants), Vanderbilt Ave.

647-649 Washington Ave.: from Rag Assortery to Object of Condo Lust

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Cofo_for_647_washington_aveBen did some detective work and found job records stating that 647-649 Washington Ave. has permits to build a 7 story, 70-foot-high building, with 8
apartments and 12,200 total square feet: "My guess is they would make
these condos and not rentals, based on the size of the apts." Probably not news, but it’s new to us, so it’s news. Get it?

And check out this C of O from 1947 [click it to enlarge]… first-story permissible use is "rag and paper storage"; the second story is "rag assorting." Hey, no rag assorting downstairs!

Categories: Real Estate, Washington Ave.

The ProHo List Gets Lighter

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Wendywire_and_tutera_1Prospect Heights is about to lose Wendy Mitchell, Managing Editor of indieWIRE and author of New York City’s Best Dive Bars: "I’m moving to London on Tuesday morning … I made it through the going-away party without crying, but I did shed a few tears when I had to say goodbye to my cat Scruffy." Leads on flats and jobs would be appreciated. Tragic, but look on the bright side: There is now a vacancy on The Proho List.

Photo: TV star David Tutera displays no interest in faking a conversation with Wendy.

Categories: Prospect People

[update] Ratner's plan to move Last-Place Nets angers Carril

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Try to count all the discrepancies in these two reports. Is it heck? Is it hell? Is it junk? Is it crap? One thing’s for sure: someone said something the other night, he got confused, and his last name may contain one or two L’s.

From the Newark Star Ledger: "Pete Carril marched up to some stranger last night, demanded to know whether he was the ‘new owner,’ and immediately started scolding him for moving the Nets out of New Jersey. Then he had to be told that he was speaking to a team publicist, and that Ratner is not with the team."

"… the legendary coach wasn’t done … ‘You’ve got to get the owner to cut the crap and stay in New Jersey. I wish he knew what the hell he was doing.’" Read more…

UPDATE: MORE DETAILS from the Daily Herald’s Mike McGraw:

"…Before New Jersey played in Sacramento on Tuesday, Kings
assistant Pete Carril walked up to a stranger, asked if he was the
Nets’ new owner and proceeded to berate the person for moving the Nets
out of New Jersey ….
Carill was then told he was speaking to Nets publicist Gary Sussman …
Carill, who coached at Princeton for 30 years, was upset by Ratner’s
plan to move the Nets to Brooklyn. Those plans are not set in stone …
little to no progress has been made on the proposed Brooklyn arena."

"’You’ve got to get the owner to cut the junk and stay in
New Jersey … I wish he knew what the heck he was doing. And you can
quote me on that. … I mean, what’s the matter with that guy? I really
feel bad about this.’"

Categories: Ratner and the Nets Stadium