Who knows the accurate count? So the anti-Cordoba protest happened on Sunday as promised and there were a lot of people. That is not to be debated. However, the actual number is surely debatable. A Google search of “mosque protest NYC” will lead to myriad news articles and blog posts that say the turnout was anywhere from 100 to 10,000. That’s quite a disparity.
A C.B. 1 member told the Downtown Express that from his vantage point overlooking the protest and Zuccotti Park, there couldn’t have been more than 200 people rallying. Our reporter who covered the event estimated 300, as did our editor who stopped by. But the Stop Islamization of America’s founder, Pam Geller, told our reporter in an interview that it was 5,000 to 6,000.
It seems as if someone is exaggerating. But that’s not news. It would be news if they didn’t exaggerate. But follow through on the Google search and the most extreme right wing blogs seem to have the estimate in the thousands, while sources like CNN and the BBC have the number much closer to the 300 observed by our reporter. If only we knew the real number…
LMDC not afraid of having thunder stolen
At the C.B. 1 WTC Committee meeting on Monday, LMCCC President Bob Harvey was asked why the Performing Arts Center was not included in his presentation to the board. He replied that he did not want to “steal the thunder” from Errol Cockfield, spokesperson for the L.M.D.C, who was slated to give a presentation after Harvey.
Cockfield replied, “Please, go ahead. You can have that thunder.”
All about the garbage
At the C.B. 1 South Street/Seaport committee meeting on Tuesday, the NYCEDC’s store front improvement program came up. Chair John Fratta said every single store façade on Fulton Street could be renovated, but without removing all of the trash on the street it would still “look like a slum.” Member Paul Hovitz chimed in and said, “and the [sidewalk] vendors too.”
Downtown Little Leaguer headed to the big show? J.J. Franco, alumnus of Downtown Little League and son of the Mets’ all-time save leader John Franco, was selected by the Mets in the 42nd round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft this week. Franco, 18, enjoyed a spectacular career at Brooklyn’s Poly Prep Country Day School that included being named 2010 Class B Player of the Year by the New York State Sportswriters Association, but never expected to be granted the chance to play for his favorite team. “It’s something I’ve been trying to do since I was a little kid,” Franco told the Daily News, “To have this moment is kind of surreal. I grew up wanting to play for them. It’s really cool to follow in my dad’s footsteps.” His example provides hope for all Downtown Little Leaguers with big league aspirations.
Local nominated for daytime Emmy
A Tribeca resident not named De Niro has been nominated for an acting award. Okay, not really an acting award, but nonetheless an award having to do with actors. Specifically, Jake Turner has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy, for his work as the stunt coordinator on the CBS soap “As the World Turns.” The episode that garnered the nomination featured fights and a roof collapse.
Over the past 35 years, Turner has been an actor, stunt coordinator and most recently has added director to his portfolio. He has worked steadily in television, tilm and opera as well as numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. His responsibility is to coordinate any physically demanding stage or screen action, like fights, crashes or explosions.
LMCCC’s new tech-toy
Bob Harvey of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center should’ve been in San Francisco this week next to Steve Jobs as he unveiled Apple’s latest iPhone. On Monday, the organization launched their own new tech toy; an interactive map with 4D technology that lets users, specifically Lower Manhattan residents, peer into the future when it comes to the construction projects that are invading nearly every part of their lives since 9/11. Check it out at www.lowermanhattan.info.
