Jacko is backo! We hear from park activist Sharon Woolums that at least one pigeon may have miraculously survived the recent brazen birdnapping at Washington Square in which 200 to 300 local avians were abducted. “Larry and Paul the Pigeon Man told me a man named William McCloud a while back tagged seven of the park pigeons,” Woolums said. “So a couple of days ago, Jacko landed on Paul the Pigeon Man’s shoulder, causing him to shout out, ‘Jacko’s back!’ Jacko found his way back home! Everyone was so excited and welcomed Jacko home! They all know them by name!”
It’s not over: Well, Gigi Li is no longer running against Jenifer Rajkumar for district leader, after Li last week dropped out of the race in the face of a lawsuit charging serious petition fraud allegations — not to mention without having collected the required 500 signatures from registered Democrats living in the district. But that doesn’t mean everything is just hunky-dory, as far as Rajkumar’s supporters are concerned. Sean Sweeney, a leading member of Downtown Independent Democrats, indicated they may now be setting their sights higher. The lawsuit, filed by two D.I.D. members, accused Coucilmember Margaret Chin’s chief of staff, Yume Kitasei, of fraudulently signing off at the bottom of 15 of Li’s petition sheets as a “subscribing witness,” when in fact, the suit charges, Kitasei did not witness the signatures as they were made, as required. And another 50 signatures were allegedly forged by another supposed subscribing witness. “Chin’s staff cannot just blatantly break the law and then expect there to be no consequences,” Sweeney told us. “We have many avenues available to preserve the integrity of our election process. This is not over.” Sweeney didn’t get into specifics, saying that, like a boxer, “We don’t want to telegraph our punches.” Asked for his take, Chad Marlow, who ran against Li for Community Board 3 chairperson two years ago, said he sees no need for Li to step down as head of the East Village board. “Right now, the only thing out there against Gigi are allegations,” he noted. That said, he offered, “She seems like ‘Teflon Gigi.’ All that she’s done in her past, nothing seems to stick to her. But this may be different because there are suggestions of illegality. Specifically, it sounds like conspiracy to commit election fraud.” Marlow stressed that he’d like to see the Manhattan district attorney, as well as the U.S. attorney general, investigate exactly what went on with Li’s petitions. He added that just because the Board of Elections ruled Li had too few signatures and she bailed out of the race, that doesn’t mean she’s in the clear. “If you rob a bank and give the money back, you still robbed the bank,” he noted, adding, “These are allegations of messing with a U.S. election.” Like Sweeney, Marlow says Kitasei’s role is of major concern. “If these actions were taken at the direction of Margaret Chin, Chin’s career is over, done,” he maintained, adding, “We may lose a councilmember over this.” A Chin spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. As for District Manager Susan Stetzer, who collected a sheet of signatures for her boss, Li, Marlow said, “In my opinion, Stetzer has done nothing wrong.”
Green day: The West Village will soon have a new upscale healthy food option when Mrs. Green’s opens on Wed., Aug. 19, at 585 Hudson St., at Bank St. The store, in the 10,200-square-foot space formerly occupied by a Duane Reade, will be the company’s first in New York City. We’re told the place will have one full row devoted to New York products, such as Brooklyn Cure and Piggery sausages, Brooklyn Brine pickles, Brooklyn Dark vegan chocolate (with hemp), a “huge variety” of New York-made cheeses and much more. Local 1500 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, after pushing to unionize Mrs. Green’s for about a year, last summer reached a settlement with the store: Fired workers were rehired and Mrs. Green’s agreed to create an intimidation-free environment for its employees. But the union hardly is throwing in the towel, judging by a hard-hitting statement that Joseph Fedele, their spokesperson, sent us this week. “The West Village community is already well aware of their new neighbor’s abusive history as a labor law violator,” the statement said. “The multinational corporation has been flagrantly abusing New York’s workers for years. In the past 24 months the federal government has charged them with over 20 federal labor violations, including for firing employees illegally. Our fight to help the workers at Mrs. Green’s, who face threats and intimidation, won’t let up until workers have the respect they deserve.”
Radical campout: Organizers are getting stoked for this weekend’s Campout New York Post in Tompkins Square Park, which will coincide with two days of live music by punk bands to mark the 27th anniversary of the 1988 park riots. More than 200 people have said on the campout’s Facebook page that they’re planning on attending, while 500 hardcore and crustcore punk fans have clicked “going” on the concerts’ FB page. “I think it’ll go down in Tompkins Square history,” John Penley, who is organizing the campout with Paul DeRienzo, told us. “It’s been so long since anything happened over there, it should go down in history.” Former East Village photojournalist Penley, who now lives in the South and recently dusted off his camera to cover the Carolina Confederate flag flap, is coming up north expressly for the campout. The idea for the event was sparked by the N.Y.P.D.’s recently putting up what the activists deride as a “sniper tower” in Tompkins, apparently in response to the New York Post’s recent reports about a spike in homeless men snoozing in the park during the day. Penley said they plan to kick things off at midnight on Friday with a “buy-in” at Ray’s Candy Store to support Ray, who is recovering from double heart-valve replacement surgery. Another highlight will see the Living Theatre, led by associate artistic director Leah Bachar, perform a new police-focused piece, “No Place to Hide,” at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday near the park’s “Hippie Hill,” the weekend campout’s H.Q. Following the performance there will be an “open mic check” to memorialize Judith Malina, the theater troupe’s legendary co-founder and leading luminary. There may also be readings of some of Malina’s Tompkins-themed poetry. In addition, one of the main organizers from ACT-UP, Brandon Cuicchi, will talk about homelessness and H.I.V. and other issues. The punk music shows, featuring local favorites, organized as usual by Chris Flash, will be Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m to 7 p.m. Penley said at night, the campout contingent will sleep on E. Seventh St. outside the park — “the dark street where no one walks.” They’ll make sure to leave two-thirds of the sidewalk open, as legally required. He added they asked civil rights attorney Norman Siegel to be on call, in case there are any problems, but he’ll be on vacation. “He said he had already planned it, but would have been there if he could,” Penley said. For his part, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton recently commented that the police can’t solve homelessness in the East Village park, or elsewhere, for that matter, by “arresting it away.” “He’s right,” Penley said. “We agree with him on some things.”
