Stonewalled: After Scoopy ran an item last year about Williamson Henderson, who says he was part of the Stonewall rebellion, being left out of David Carter’s definitive new book on Stonewall, a member of Henderson’s group, Stonewall Veterans Association, contacted the book’s publisher to protest. As St. Martin’s Press senior editor Keith Kahla tells it: “I had gotten an e-mail from one of their executive directors, saying they had grave concerns about the Carter book, explaining who they were…. They asked me to get them a copy of the unedited manuscript so they could take care of the inaccuracies. They wanted to set up a time so they could come in and ‘educate’ me about Stonewall — that it was a resistance, not a riot. I explained to them that it was totally inappropriate — and that was the end of it.” Kahla said there was some talk about S.V.A. showing up to protest outside last week’s event for the book at the New-York Historical Society, but he thought it was probably too far Uptown. The guess is if there’s a protest it will likely be at a June 22 reading at the Barnes & Noble in Chelsea. But Kahla noted a protest could backfire, leading to more copies being sold.
Halls of justice (without closets): Former Councilmember Kathryn Freed said her first weeks in January as a new Municipal Court judge weren’t exactly a walk in the park. She didn’t even have her own chambers and had to carry her street clothes around with her. Of course, that was after going through “judge boot camp,” where the newly minted magistrates learn the ropes — fast. She’s since been plugging away in Criminal Court arraigning defendants on a variety of charges, from grunge-rocking celeb Courtney Love for her mic-bashing incident at Plaid, to homeless persons caught up in police sweeps. Freed said she’s reluctant to do a full interview because judges aren’t supposed to reveal their thought processes about people and cases that come before them. But from what she described (basically, sympathy for society’s less fortunate) her thought process sounds very judicious, to us.
CoDA decoder: Some say the race for Community Board 3 chairperson between David McWarter and Barden Prisant isn’t just between a bar owner/nightlife advocate and an art appraiser — but a power struggle between political club Coalition for a District Alternative, whose members are trying to retain control of the board, and non-CoDA members. Prisant is a member of CoDA, as are Harvey Epstein and Lisa Kaplan, respectively, C.B. 3’s current and previous chairpersons. McWater isn’t in CoDA, but is tight with Councilmember Margarita Lopez, who is — and unfailingly throws the biggest fundraisers for Lopez each year. Board members are reluctant to comment openly about any alleged CoDA/non-CoDA grudge match. Lopez said she will “not interfere” and won’t lobby any of the 50 members — who vote June 22 — to back either candidate. “That is absurd! The community board is not controlled, dominated or dictated by CoDA,” Lopez said. “That is an insult to everyone else on the board who is not CoDA — and also to CoDA members.”
Developer’s designs?: Rumors about fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg selling her home and studio on W. 12th St. for an astronomical amount persist. We hear there is a sale contract for the two small buildings, a former three-story stable and blacksmith shop — for between $22 million and $25 million. Only developers planning to build pay that much, a source confided knowingly. The site is indeed ripe for development, since it’s located outside the Greenwich Village Historic District.
Pier field of dreams: The first game of softball at Pier 40 was played some 30 years ago. Peter Blanco, a Village resident, was the last harbormaster at Pier 40. While fishing at the pier last week, he told Tobi Bergman of Pier Park & Playground Association that longshoremen working for International Terminal Operators played daily lunchtime games in the courtyard, exactly where the Hudson River Park Trust will open new sports fields later this year.
I’ll take the “Scarface” moo-shoo: Word has it that where the Mineshaft, the city’s formerly most notorious sex club, once was on Washington St. in the Meat Market, a Chinese and Thai restaurant will open. One suggestion: scrub thoroughly with Lysol.
Flower children: Jo Hamilton and Florent Morellet recently checked out the Flower Market in Los Angeles; Morellet had business to do in L.A., where Hamilton has friends, so they decided to research for their proposal to relocate the Flower Market to the Meat Market.