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Image provided by: Jefferson Market Library
# l£ : r - Looking Ahead to Halloween and a Boost for Kids The season may be spring, but the minds of some Villagers is on autumn and the annual Village Halloween Parade. Yes, there are plenty of problems such anjevent brings along with the fun and pleasure it provides, but we think it is a great event and have nothing but admiration for those who created it and those many, many more who have labored over the years to keep it alive. As some of the speakers said at the Community Board Two meeting on the subject which we report about this week, the oi^ins of the parade sought to reflect the special sense of community in the Village and as the event has grown over the years it has blossomed into somethmg that celebrates more than its founders intended. We don’t think that’s all bad and we would like to see both the original intention and what the parade has become preserved in future plans for the event. And we very definitely believe there should be a future for it. There’s little chance that the outpouring of adult activity on Halloween will be inhibited by decreasing the effort that goes into that sector of activity. But, as many of the speakers said last week, the original purpose of the event — to provide a “down-home” style event that is particularly aimed at encouraging participation by youngsters — needs a boost and we very much like the idea of a children’s parade that would wind through West Village streets. Though adults have taken the opportunity to let the parade become an important occa sion for then* expression, Halloween is traditionally a kid’s event and we would like to see extra effort this year go to enhancing this event for them. We hope others agree and are willing to spend the considerable effort organizers say it takes to make what has become a pleasurable Village tradition work for both adults and youngsters. An Excellent Example I found Volker Madry’s piece on Village ar chaeology well prepared and written (Villager, April 16, “They’re Literally Digg ing for Village History\). It is a good exam ple of what makes the Villager such an in teresting and relevant newspaper, — Barry Benepe, East 16th Street. Invite to Attend On Saturday, May 9th, The New York Coun ty Committee will hold a conference on critical issues facing New York today. As one of the coordmators of this event and co-chair of the education workshop 1 would like to ex tend an invitation to the Villager readership (and their friends) to attend and participate. The four issues this conference will focus m on are education (decentrallzation-is it work ing?), racially motivated bias and violence, the housing crisis in New York and ethics in government. There are obviously a host of other issues that are just as important (health care/AIDS, the foster care system, the economy, crime, drugs, affirmative ac tion, N.Y.’s transportation system etc.). Many of these issues have been dealt with at past conferences and others will be handled at future ones. Most are ongoing concerns that are receiving attention. The conference is structured to be an ex- citmg exchange of ideas and opinions among experts in the field and concerned citizens. It is also meant to be another means by which the New York County Democratic Committee and I as your district leader receive further public input on major issues. Some of the workshop panelists include An thony Alvarado-Educator; David Wertheimer-Executive Director of NYC Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project; Norman Slegel-Executlve Director NY Civil Liberties Union; Catherine Abate-Executive Deputy Commissioner, NYS State Division of Human Rights; State Senators David Patterson and Franz Leichter; Bob Hayes-Coalition for the Homeless; l^lly Hernandez Pinero-Deputy Manhattan Borough President. The conference will be held from 12-4 at Joan of Arc Junior High School located at 154 West 9Jrd Street. A reception will follow. Ad mission is free. — Anthony S. Hoffmann, Democratic Party District Leader, 61st A.D., Part A. Some Other VID A recent letter claimed that the VID has shown concern about quahty of life issues in Greenwich Village (Sound Off, Villager, April 16, “A Negative Campaign\). This reference must be to some other “VID,” not the Village Independent Democrats. The group using the VID label (although having a high proportion of non-Village residents) had a female district leader, Catherine Abate, who made her living defending drug dealers and prostitutes after their arrest. This VID turned its back on residents of the West Village when asked for help to combat open street prostitution on their residential streets. Instead, we were lectured on the rights of outsiders to use our streets as bedrooms and toilets, in full view of neighborhood children! The Village Reform Democratic Club, in stark contrast, has been truly sensitive to quality of life problems in the Village. Led by new female District Leader Liz ShoUenberger, the VRDC has worked with the City to provide for more police, and has lobbied for harsher jail sentences for con victed drug dealers, and prostitutes (in residential areas). The distinction between these two groups regarding these issues could not be clearer! — Harry Malakoff, Jane Street Run On The Issues Watch Out! There goes another rhubarb from VID (Sound-Off, 4/16/87, Mimi Hurd), provoked by “the arrival of Spring,\ a superb imagination and the impending “elec toral process,” made more democratic (if ex- haustmg) by the mere presence of a rival political club (VRDC). The potential of hav ing two clubs competing to do more for the local Village community and therefore to earn votes is obvious and healthy. 1 don’t see how having a choice (hopefully an informed one) can be a change “for the worse.\ Ms. Hurd was not — as far as I can tell — responding to a letter or an article, so 1 don’t know why she chose to fire a first volley asserting that VRDC was “resorting to a negative campaign” of distortions of character defamation. This smacks of the pot calling the kettle black. Certainly en thusiasm is to be preferred to complacency, but perhaps a little self-discipline could be suggested? I do agree with Ms. Hurd’s statement on one basic point: the upcoming campaign should be run on issues — not slogans, not ac cusations painted with so broad a brush as to broach the hysterical — but the ISSUES. — Cheryl Brock, Commerce Street. ''V-. ' I - . I 'r A ' ■ a The Silly Season It’s getting to be ahnost a weekly event. It’s getting silly. One week after another, someone from the Village Independent Democrats (VID) writes a letter that goes something like this: “Those filthy, disgusting, corrupt pigs at the Village Reform Democratic Club are engaging in negative c am p ai^ tactics. We demand that those slimy, despicable people follow the lof ty example we at the VID have set by con sistently taking the high road.\ These letters from the VID are pretty ridiculous on their face. But it’s worse than that. After months of hysterical attacks — in which VID letter-writers have groundlessly accused VRDC and its leaders of being “racist,” “anti-Semitic,” anti-Asian, “anti gay” and financed by “real estate big bucks” — the recent “high road” posturing by VID is hypocrisy of the grossest sort. VID has repeatedly attacked VRDC cam paign materials as “scurrilous.” As nearly as we can tell, it seems that we are “scur rilous” whenever we tell the voters facts about VID that VID doesn’t want the voters to know. We don’t call that “scurrilous.” We call it “democracy.” — Mike Battugllno, Campaign Chair, The Village Reform Democratic Club, GO East 9th Street. I Didn’t Say That Your front page article “They Talk About Doing Business in the Village” on April 23rd quotes me as saying (re: my landlord) “is not a nice woman.” 1 did not say that. The following paragraph is an editorialized inter pretation of approxunately fifteen minutes of discussion. 1 never made that statement nor do 1 feel it in any way reflects my feelings on the subject. I have been a Villager reader for many years and have always enjoyed your paper. As the mother of a young child who attends school in the Village; as a businesswoman in the Village; as a twenty-year resident of the Village; and as the incoming president of the Greenwich Village Chamber of Commerce 1 care very much about what goes on in our community. The Villager is truly our neighborhood’s most viable source of com-f munication. I am, therefore, dismayed to see irrespon sibility in reportage — an irresponsibility that could cause a 25 year institution in the Village unnecessary business problems. Just for the record: the Lion’s Head seats 66 people comfortably (not 15) as implied in paragraph 10. — Judith Joicc, Christopher Street. She Didn’t Say That I read with great interest your story regardmg the Chamber of Commerce Forum which was held on April 15th, and I want to thank you for the PR for the Chamber. 1 would like to point out, however, that Judith Joice did not make the comment that her landlady was “ ... not a nice woman.” — Mort Berkowitz, Executive Director, Green wich Village Chamber of Commerce. EDITOR’S NOTE: Our reporter’s notes show that the comment In question was made after the speaker cited a scries of businesses which are no longer in the Village. An eoieollc party marked the opening of Red Spot's new outdoor slide theater which opened in Soho last Saturday. See story Page 3. (Vyiager/Rosenslook Photo) April 30,1087, THE VILUQER; Paga 7
