Neither more nor less

R.I.P. Bob Arihood

2011-10-28T11:44:00.016-04:00

Bob Arihood passed away during the week of September 30^th 2011.

We will be maintaining the blog indefinitely, along with Nadia Se Conoce. The site will be preserved exactly as Bob left it, except for this post. New comments will be allowed but only on this post.

The following is an introduction to Bob, his work, and to NMNL.

Steve Jobs of Apple Computer fame died the same week as Bob. One obituary (from the WSJ) said this about Jobs: “no one could figure out what he was. He was no engineer or technologist. He was no conventional businessman either….he made himself up as he went along, improvised himself out of scratch, occupied a job category whose total size was always one”.

This is a pretty accurate depiction of Robert Arihood as well. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, and although was never formally employed as an engineer, he knew more about buildings and structures than the structural engineer we once worked with on a rebuilding project. Bob applied his training and practical experience in building and fixing things, but was always drawn to the arts: painting, sculpture, and especially film and photography. As an example of where this led, he built the film storage facility for the original Anthology Film Archive down in SoHo.

He began photographing in a casual way in the 1960’s and 70’s, using a Leica M3 part of the time (and later M6). He never intended to become a photographer; it was never his dream, just a hobby, but he became more and more meticulous about this ‘hobby’. His main business was still building things, generally off of his own new ideas. After his last major venture ended circa 1994 or 1995, he became a full-time photographer, basically hanging out on the corner of Avenue A and 7^th Street. There was no grand plan, just a commitment to becoming a master of what he did, and to keep evolving, to keep improvising himself out of scratch.

He began selling photos on a free-lance basis to the Times, the Post, and the Villager; some may have appeared elsewhere. He became a regular at the Villager, probably publishing about 400 or 500 pictures there, maybe more, with his most active period coming during the summer of 2004, especially during the RNC. (See editor-in-chief Lincoln Anderson’s tribute at

thevillager.com)

He never intended to be a journalist either, but the stories naturally followed. Fiercely independent (and a true master of his trade), he often disliked the way his photos were cropped or printed. He was also irritated when details and facts he collected were missing or did not appear in print versions of stories written by others. He constantly told us he was going to hang up his cameras and retire...

He started NMNL in 2006, mainly to help out Jim Powers, but the site took on a life of its own. As he said just before starting NMNL, but after (mostly) ending his association with newspapers “I do not miss being part of the media. Really, I never desired to have anything to do with journalism.”

Yet he took the journalism seriously, and developed stories he felt were important, whether it was saving Jim Powers or Ray from eviction, covering crane collapses and building department gaffs, or exposing shenanigans of a particular real estate developer. He was not at all a community activist, as some have labeled him, except in the original meaning of the term: someone active in the community in which he lived. He looked after his neighbors, and if he had unique abilities to highlight one particular gross injustice or public negligence in his city or neighborhood, he would. That's why he kicked off the Save Ray movement, and that’s why he reported on DOB issues and the like.

He often complained, especially in the 2000’s that part of what he did was not about photography, and in fact, having to shoot this subject matter in the way he did actually made his photography worse (one of the reasons he later started Nadie Se Conosce, to showcase photography more than reportage). But it is NMNL that received the primary attention.

He was still shooting more film than digital through 2008, but by 2009 he was mainly scanning negatives not printing them, and with the arrival of Leica’s M9 in late 2009, he went mainly digital, finally being satisfied enough with digital output. But in his heart he still preferred film and he’d still bring out the M6 sometimes because, as he wrote “I still want to make pictures that look like ‘real pictures’.”

When he retired in 2010, for about a year, it was for three reasons: he had grown weary of the number of hours it took standing on the corner for very little material; weary of the hours it took to process all the images, and since he was meticulous, it took many hours to do so; and finally, the source material really had grown less interesting and plentiful. In an interview he gave to the Times , he added that, “the lack of pay and the new profusion of bloggers, cellphone photographers and Twitterbugs didn’t help.” Spending several thousand hours on that spot with him, we concur that there was less material per night than years earlier. After a night (May 17, 2010) that we stood outside for hours and the only thing that happened was a little dog eating waterbugs, he knew he had had enough. His retirement was only partial: he had started Nadie Se Conosce, he contributed photos and other info to EV Grieve and others, and couldn’t stop carrying a camera. In fact, he kept upgrading his equipment and systems.

But like Michael Corleone in the later Godfather movies, Bob complained that he got sucked back in. He came back to NMNL in mid-2011, but was now somewhat of a celebrity, even a bit of a ‘living legend’. In the interim a number of media outlets had done stories on him, including the New York Times, NYT and he met dozens of other bloggers and aspiring photographers, many of whom would just introduce themselves to him on the street (easy enough since he was unmistakable on that corner). As the Times said, “His style of reporting was of the old-fashioned shoe-leather sort and his main subjects were the itinerant travelers, street drinkers, punks, poets and sidewalk sleepers that once proliferated in the East Village but these days make up a vanishing tribe.”

He had fun with NMNL, but was growing tired of it again just before he died, and was threatening to once more ‘hang up his cameras.’ Still, the week before he died, he had upgraded his internet connection in order to begin uploading video to the site, and he had upgraded his computer systems as well. He wasn’t exactly sure what he would do next, but Bob was still improvising, still re-inventing himself.

In Bob’s own words taken from one of his comments on a NMNL post called General Assembly:

“I photograph and write about what happens here in this neighborhood. I often write in jest of many things. I photograph and write mostly of things that nobody else will cover. There is still some local color here, I photograph it and write about it but that does not mean that I support it or that I am romanticizing it. Much of what you find here is little more than entertainment, cheap thrills and nothing more. Sometimes I do take a serious stand on an issue or an event. I do so publicly, openly with my name clearly displayed. I stand on a corner too , and speak to what I believe publicly and at times I am even recorded, photographed doing so…..there is an obligation on my part to report on this or any such event, [politically] left or right. This is what I did. If some people don't like this, well too damn bad grow up and live in the real world”.

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A comment on Bob’s photography and journalism, and favorite posts.

Bob was an extremely talented photographer, although much of what is here is not representative of his very best work. He also, despite himself, was a fine journalist in the old cast-he frequently quoted Walter Cronkite that a good journalist needed to be a person of broad general knowledge and he would add and a good ‘bullshit detector’. His best journalism, ironically, was generally when he left the corner of 7^th Street and Avenue A. It is these pieces in which Bob’s photography, his reportage and writing, and his knowledge of engineering and buildings all come together to produce something no one else could. These include the crane collapse series on 51^st Street in March 2008, an even better series in February 2007, another crane collapse series in October/November 2008, the 120 St. Marks saga in 2006/07, and the St. Brigid’s campaign, all on this site, and a much older building collapse series in the Villager around 2000 or 2011. His extensive coverage of the protests surrounding the 2004 Republican National Convention is also noteworthy but was only published in the Villager (and perhaps a few shots sold elsewhere). Other of our favorite posts include “Independence Day 1996 Little Italy” (we were with him when those were shot), a Feb 2008 post called “Pieces of Avenue A” , but there’s a ton of them. We also recommend Nadie Se Conosce for some of his older images.

A note on his videos

We intend to leave them up but we do point out that Bob didn't think he wanted to keep the videos. In an email 2 or 3 days before he died, he stated: "i think that since the quality of them is so low, i will remove these videos. Particularly the sound is poor... The problem is with this camera...to make serious video, one does not use a camera like this."

Saturday Afternoon on 12th Street

2011-09-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

Saturday Afternoon Bus Ride in Cuffs to Police Plaza

2011-09-25T02:28:00.002-04:00

Ray's Insurance

2011-09-24T02:32:00.000-04:00

Another Morning in Tompkins Square Park

2011-09-23T11:22:00.000-04:00

5 Minutes with Ray

2011-09-23T02:40:00.005-04:00

Guillermo and 4 Loko at Ray's

2011-09-23T02:39:00.006-04:00

Preparing the Occupation of Wall Street?

2011-09-19T01:16:00.010-04:00

The tourists hardly noticed the 300 or so folks of the General Assembly and allied groups sprawled about Zuccotti Park .Many had camped overnight at the leave of NYPD in the park .By mid-day most were up and about preparing to shut down Wall street .Some were concerned with the day's agenda ,some made posters , some made music and danced while the more militant sorts marched through the streets ,led by a black and red flag to a corner near Wall Street . Tomorrow Wall Street .

Mid-Day Sunday in Zuccotti Park

2011-09-18T22:42:00.002-04:00

8 PM Sunday Sept. 25 at Theatre 80 St. Marks

2011-09-17T13:00:00.001-04:00

NYPD Patrols Tompkins Square Park Friday Night...

2011-09-17T01:36:00.002-04:00

Friday night NYPD made its presence known in Tompkins Square Park . 8 or more scooters from the 1st precinct were stationed at the corner of Avenue A and Saint Marks Place . Several other police vehicles were also present on Avenue A , 10th street and in TSP . Patrols were conducted through out TSP by car , scooter and on foot .

Police personnel mentioned that bicycle group Criticalmass was the focus of the patrols . We suspect though that police had word that members of criticalmass would be in TSP to support the General Assembly group in their attempt to take over Wall Street Saturday . Several bicyclists were seen under the Hare Krishna tree and this group was under surveilance by NYPD for 2 hours .Police units left the area around 10PM.

Scarlett's Web

2011-09-16T18:06:00.002-04:00

Buddy

2011-09-16T16:50:00.001-04:00

2 Carts

2011-09-16T09:19:00.001-04:00

September 11, 2011 on Avenue A

2011-09-12T01:32:00.001-04:00

Diggin' Out in Tompkins Square Park

2011-09-12T00:12:00.003-04:00

The TSP rats spend a lot of time these days diggin' out their holes .Parks personnel fill in their holes everyday and everyday the TSP rats dig them out ..

Adele with Some of the Guys in Tompkins Square Park

2011-09-11T19:23:00.004-04:00

Not too long ago Adele was a regular in TSP ,spending much of her time sitting at one of the chesstables, in violation of park rules , not playing chess but handing out socks , underware and inviting folks at the tables who were hungry to visit Graffiti Church for a free dinner . She was seen by many to be a saint .No one messed with Adele in TSP.

Adele hasn't been around TSP much for the last year or so . Saturday she returned to TSP , welcomed by some of her old frends ,

Afternoon on Avenue A

2011-09-11T19:01:00.001-04:00

Rats Eat Squirrel in Tompkins Square Park

2011-09-09T03:34:00.005-04:00

Gorey whiskered muzzles nosed deep , tasted blood and chewed . Bloodied teeth ripped flesh and bloodied rat hands tugged at guts picking apart the corpse. Several rats , at times sharing ,at times fighting , consumed a squirrel under a Linden tree in Tompkins Square Park .The squirrel's demise? Who knows . Perhaps the rats mobbed the squirrel when it attempted to climb their tree.

1870 Siege of Paris : Queuing for Fresh Meat ...

2011-09-09T02:44:00.045-04:00

By Cham ( Charles Amedee de Noe )

When times get really tough the Tompkins Square Park rats will be there .

T.S.P.

2011-09-08T14:26:00.003-04:00

Another Rainy Night at Rays :" There Was this King in Ancient Persia and..."

2011-09-08T02:13:00.004-04:00

Out-Of-Towner

2011-09-05T03:40:00.007-04:00

A Rat's Progress : Trials and Tribulations

2011-09-04T21:41:00.001-04:00

Barry Plays Keyboard on Avenue A

2011-09-04T21:34:00.002-04:00

Thursday Afternoon on Crusty Row

2011-09-04T21:28:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday Crusty Row burgeoned for an afternoon to something of its old colorful self .Some of the old regulars by chance gathered ,drank somes beers and cheap vodka,smoked and danced again on the old Row.L.E.S. Jewels ,sober with the help an occasional pill, admirably played the master of ceremonies.

Happy T.S.P. Rat Feeding From Garbage Can with Self-Closing Top and Mint Flavored Plastic Garbage Bag Liner

2011-09-04T01:19:00.005-04:00

Much has been made by officials and experts concerning the benefits of garbage cans with self-closing tops and mint laced garbage bags. Well....

Saturday Afternoon There Were 2 Lines of People Waiting Near the Corner of 7th St. and Avenue A : One Line for Food the Other Line for Ice Cream

2011-09-03T19:38:00.005-04:00

Saturday afternoon 2 lines formed in the EV .One line on Avenue A led folks to a free meal from the Rev. Diane's charitable ministry.Hungry folks got some help surviving in the form of free food .

Another line around the corner , every bit as long as Diane's line and longer lasting , led to a well advertised bourgeois extravaganza at an ice cream shop.

Thanks to Peter for pointing me to this East Village scene.

Saturday Afternoon the Rev. Diane and L.E.S. Jewels Observe the General Assembly/Romper Room Crowd in Tompkins Square Park

2011-09-03T19:31:00.003-04:00

Friday Night on the Brink of the Chupacabra Hole : Oops!

2011-09-03T15:27:00.004-04:00

Tourist Mall , N.Y.C. on a September Day

2011-09-02T23:00:00.003-04:00

Woman and Butterfly

2011-08-30T00:46:00.002-04:00

Sawyers and Carters Come to Tompkins Square Park Monday Afternoon

2011-08-30T00:20:00.002-04:00

Alas Poor Yorick! ...

2011-08-29T02:44:00.002-04:00

....I knew him , Horatio ; a fellow of fine jest , of most excellent fancy ; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times ; and now , how abhorred in my imagination it is ! My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now?

Stand-Off on a Tree Trunk in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-28T21:06:00.006-04:00

Sunday the rats were brazenly everywhere ,freely walking ,eating and playing in daylight in the company of all the different members , including humans, of the Tompkins Square Park family . Appearing to be more sure of themselves lately they have been seen exploring the daytime world of the TSP lawns and climbing trees. The Tompkins Sqaure Park rats have been quite successful ,they have eaten well and multiplied. This is what rats strive for and such success drives them to find new places to eat well and multiply .

Now the challenge of finding new domains to master and populate is shaping a new more adventurous young rat that will confront humans in daylight and even challenge squirrels in their trees. Ever adaptable , in TSP the younger rats have surrendered some of their wildness to be able to more effectively exploit the bounty of Tompkins Square Park .

Annoyed Rat Surprises Intrusive Photographer

2011-08-28T20:41:00.000-04:00

Storm Passed , Now the Peaceable Kingdom

2011-08-28T20:07:00.000-04:00

Saturday Night with Ray and Irene

2011-08-28T11:20:00.001-04:00

Ray had business all night . His candy store was one of the few businesses open on Avenue A throughout tempest Irene . Ray worked the store all night by himself . With the subway closed down his staff couldn't get to work . Ray said he was prepared to work not just Saturday night alone but all day Sunday and all night Sunday by himself too.He said that his store has to remain open no matter what happens . He said that he can't close because he has no way to lock up his candy store securely.

Ratstravaganza Continues at the Thursday Night Movie : "Inside Edition" Returns to Tompkins Sqare Park

2011-08-26T02:45:00.004-04:00

Yeah , Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes and the Rats still rule in TSP . "Inside Edition" returned to Tompkins Square Park Thursday night , movie night with the "Godfather"on the screen. The "Inside Edition" team returned with a Rat expert to have another look at our robust and growing TSP Rat population .The Rats didn't disappoint ...they climbed trees for the cameras.

Camping Out in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-26T02:31:00.000-04:00

Chaz Claims Hit by Bus Resulting in Broken Ribs and Punctured Lung

2011-08-24T03:47:00.002-04:00

3 Weeks Sober , L.E.S. Jewels Does the Puzzle

2011-08-24T03:45:00.001-04:00

Noddin' at Ray's

2011-08-24T03:43:00.001-04:00

Camping Out in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-24T03:41:00.000-04:00

Painting the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run

2011-08-23T22:53:00.000-04:00

1 A.M. in Tompkins Square Park : Obvious, No-Brainer

2011-08-23T02:48:00.001-04:00

Friday Night at 7th Street and Avenue A

2011-08-21T22:36:00.002-04:00

Feeding Rats in the Tompkins Sqaure Park Playground

2011-08-21T18:47:00.006-04:00

Saturday at General Assembly in Tompkins Square Park : L.E.S. Jewels Preparing Early for the Big Camp Out on Wall Street Sept .17th ?

2011-08-21T03:23:00.003-04:00

Carl and Drunkenstein in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-18T01:36:00.000-04:00

Elvis

2011-08-17T07:02:00.001-04:00

Tuesday Afternoon in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

The Elusive Tompkins Square Park White Rat

2011-08-16T03:30:00.000-04:00

A Candle and Petals for Merlin

2011-08-16T03:25:00.002-04:00

Every August 16th since Merlin's (a.k.a Paul Hogan) death on August 16 , 1996 someone has placed a candle and petals at the site of Merlin's encampment at 6th Street and Avenue A.

http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2010/08/merlin.html
http://evgrieve.com/2011/08/flashback-august-1996-two-week-tribute.html

NYPD Crime Scene Unit at Flea Market Cafe Monday Night

2011-08-16T03:17:00.002-04:00

Late Monday evening the Flea Market Cafe remained cordoned off by a yellow crime scene tape . An NYPD Crime Scene unit accompanied by several other police vehicles was parked on Avenue A in front of the cafe . The cafe had been cordoned off since early Monday afternoon after a small and apparently suspicious fire was extinguished by FDNY.Around midnight the police vehicles left the scene and Flea Market staff began cleaning up the mess created by the fire.

Blaze at Flea Market Cafe Monday Afternoon

2011-08-15T18:07:00.006-04:00

Early Monday afternoon a small fire was extinguished by FDNY near the bar at the Flea Market Cafe . The blaze did little damage and was extinguished quickly with little trouble though one firefighter suffered minor injuries .

After the fire was extinguished fire marshalls were seen examining the fire scene . We were told by FDNY personnel "we're lookin' for somethin' ".

Monday Morning on Avenue A

2011-08-15T02:53:00.001-04:00

Saturday Night on Avenue A : Woman with a Sledgehammer

2011-08-14T17:36:00.000-04:00

Saturday Afternoon on the Fence in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-13T21:40:00.000-04:00

General Assembly

2011-08-13T20:11:00.013-04:00

Saturday afternoon this group :
http://evgrieve.com/2011/08/planning-meeting-to-occupy-wall-street.html
gathered in Tompkins Square Park under the Hare Krishna Tree to organize a movement that will cause 20000 people to descend on Wall Street September 17 , 2011 .This organizing action of course being a public political action utilizing a public resource , Tompkins Square Park .

A number of individuals , in considerable ignorance of the law of the land, complained that their pictures were being taken .We were lectured quite arrogantly and condescendingly at length to respect the privacy of individuals .

TSP isn't the dorm rec room or the recitation hall folks , it is public property , public space .There is no expectation of privacy here , especially when engaged in a political act .In such a political situation any request for privacy is moot , the peoples right to know trumps all . If you don't want to be seen involved in political organizing then do it on your laptop in a cafe or at home . Organize in a private space if it is important not to be seen .Everyone can do so . Otherwise stand up , speak up and bear the consequences of having been recorded present , standing for something . .

Another Night on Avenue A

2011-08-13T03:25:00.000-04:00

Busted in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-12T19:04:00.002-04:00

The arrests actully occured around 2:40 pm on Friday on Death Row , the first row of benches in from avenue A .The 2 cuffed at the entrance of TSP were apparently involved in a drug transaction .

Nosferatu on Avenue A

2011-08-12T02:30:00.000-04:00

Night Life

2011-08-12T02:05:00.002-04:00

Ratstravaganza Rolls On : "Inside Edition" in Tompkins Square Park at Closing Time Tuesday Night

2011-08-10T02:04:00.001-04:00

TSP was thick with rats Tuesday night and Inside Edition was there to video them .The rats seemed to be having quite a good time too . One of the "rat proof" garbage containers was mobbed with perhaps 15 rats . The door to the container had been left ajar , likely by someone who had stashed a few beers or some dope in the container earlier in the day .

"Let 'Em Eat Cake/Eat the Rich/No Comfort Zone Street Party: Part 2

2011-08-08T15:35:00.007-04:00

The guard at the gate said no : the party walked in .Though the staff was likely a bit confused and uncertain , at the beginning it seemed welcoming as Penley's party made its way under the bright lights to the the central portion of the BMW Guggenheim Lab. During most of the event staff members sat or stood quietly on the perimeter of the action , some photographing and videoing the party members .We attempted to speak with a few staff members and were told that they had been told not to speak with us .Later these staff members , clearly conflicted ,did talk about what was happening and how they felt about it all .Seems that they had anticipated this event .They certainly had reason to anticipate , Mr. Penley had previously told them that he was bringing a street party to the Lab.

The same folks that speak out at the corner 7th Street and avenue A to the wreak of bum piss , passed out drunks and nodding junkies were at the BMW Guggenheim Lab Saturday night under the bright lights of an utterly sterile stage .Their message was nothing new ,the same messengers too delivering it not to the passing souls on avenue A , but to the Guggenheim staff .

Top billed L.E.S. Jewels made his entrance with his entourage from the opposite end of the Gug Lab .He spoke a poem written for the evening . Amazingly sober and with his pants on he comported himself honorably as one of the main acts of the evening .

The few truly tense moments occurred when Mr. Penley refused a request from staff members to not smoke . Mr. Penley taunting , challenged a staff member to call the police , opening a hard pack of Marlboroughs and offering cigarettes to other members of the party . Several lit up and smoke dramatically curled around in the bright stage lighting .Reasonably the Gug staff seemed not to want cops and the press attention that their presence would bring . Mr. Penley also introduced a masked member of the group "Annonymous" noting that perhaps BMW and the Guggenheim might be next on the hackers list .

What did this party at the Gug Lab matter ? As we've noted nothing was said that hasn't been shouted out many times at the entrance to Tompkins Square Park . Some stood Saturday night to power and wealth? Whatever it is that was accomplished its likely as significant as the usual intellectualized drivel that oozes from think tanks .

"Let 'Em eat Cake/Eat the Rich/No Comfort Zone " Street Party : Part3

2011-08-07T23:23:00.002-04:00

Around 9:45 PM the street party left the BMW Guggenheim Lab for the old Mars Bar. Mars Bar is no longer with us but there is still the sidewalk . Inside the old bar there was some old wine too .Purloined , this wine became the liquid faire of the evening . Ending the party with a revolutionary fervor in a fine drizzle with bad wine , really bad wine seemed fitting .

A couple of guys argued a bit , a fire extinguisher was tossed aggressively . Folks continued to drink , Jewels urinated . When the wine was consumed folks left , some heading to Ray's. Jewels and Penley made it to Ray's but Jewels quickly passed out in a familiar doorway . Lucy expressed herself and the "Let 'Em Eat Cake /Eat the Rich/No Comfort Zone street party was finished .

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"Let 'Em Eat Cake /Eat the Rich/No Comfort Zone" Street Party : Part 1

2011-08-07T20:28:00.000-04:00

A group of 20 or so gathered Saturday night just in from the corner of 2nd Avenue and 3rd street . A familiar group that's been seen many a desperate Saturday evening at the 7th street and Avenue A entrance to Tompkins Square Park . A mix of aging Yippies , Slaktivists,Communists , anarchists and assorted others .Posters were made , folks socialized and then moved 2 doors east and effected a small anti-gentrification ritual in front of the Economakis Mansion . John Penley then led a march to the BMW Guggenhein Lab a couple of blocks down 2nd Avenue .

BMW

2011-08-07T02:19:00.001-04:00

Old and New in Astor Place

2011-08-06T19:18:00.001-04:00

Confronting Comfort on Avenue A

2011-08-06T12:26:00.003-04:00

He said that he had found the plastic container a few minutes earlier on Avenue A. He noted that his fortuitous discovery was indeed most utilitarian . He intended to use the plastic pickled ginger container as a portable stool this afternoon at the Riot Reunion in Tompkins Square Park .He also enthusiastically volunteered that if drinking all those Reunion beers and later all the free beers at the "Let 'Em eat Cake /Eat the Rich/No Comfort Zone" street party at the BMW Guggenheim Lab created a need , he would use the covered container as a portable toilet .

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Playing the Game at the BMW Guggenheim Lab

2011-08-06T00:29:00.002-04:00

Thursday Sweep and Man with Large Knife in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-05T01:03:00.003-04:00

Thursday evening shortly after 7PM 5 police vehicles including one un-marked vehicle entered Tompkins Square Park . With red lights flashing the vehicles rolled slowly through the more infamous sections of T.S.P. , that is Crusty Row and the chess tables . A man was reported to be on the loose somewhere near the chess tables with a large orange handled knife .

While 9th precinct personnel at the chess tables were looking for the man with the knife another NYPD narcotics unit was conducting a traditional Thursday night TSP sweep .Members of this unit very dramatically collared a drug sales suspect just outside the park on the Avenue A side walk .

The man with the knife was not found .

Wednesday Night at 7th Street and Avenue A

2011-08-04T17:01:00.001-04:00

Street Photography on 7th Street

2011-08-03T21:03:00.001-04:00

BMW Guggenheim Lab Tuesday Night : Confronting Comfort on Houston Street

2011-08-03T02:55:00.002-04:00

http://www.bmwguggenheimlab.org/what-is-the-lab/theme

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Brando From a Bar Stool at 2A

2011-08-03T00:54:00.000-04:00

Avenue A Portrait

2011-08-02T12:15:00.004-04:00

Sunday Afternoon in Tompkins Square Park

2011-08-01T03:47:00.009-04:00

Another old style hard core concert afternoon in TSP Sunday .Some Crustys asked for some time on stage too .They were denied the use of the stage so after the concert they performed acoustic at the roots of a large elm tree . Some of the Old School objected to their presence and let them know it .One of the Crustys was punched in the face , they all left immediately .

After the concert , the afternoon segued to a colorful catharsis for a more bourgeois group of 200 or so at the Mad Hatter's tea party .Alice of course was there , dressed in blue .Towards the end of the tea party a guerrilla band of saxophonists that call themselves the Baritone Saxophone Army crashed the tea party. Music was made , the Red Queen gasped.

The Old Confronts the New at 7th Street and Avenue A

2011-07-30T03:22:00.000-04:00

Concerning the Use of Rat Poisons in Tompkins Square Park

2011-07-28T16:20:00.003-04:00

Much has been made lately of the rat population increasing because the Parks Dept . is not using poisons to better control the growth of that population . As we've noted recently in a previous post we believe that there is a lot more to the problem than just a lack of poison .Rodenticides are not necessarily as effective as advertised , rats learn , and they are difficult to use safely in a public park. Finally the poisons do not kill rats cool and clean without suffering .

In the past we have posted on the issue of the use of poisons to control the rat population in Tompkins Square Park . We present 2 posts again here . Some of the links have been broken but anyone interested can find ways around that problem .
http://neithermorenorless.blogspot.com/2007/11/of-red-tailed-hawks-rats-squirrels-and.html
http://neithermorenorless.blogspot.com/2010/04/exposed-rat-poison-in-tompkins-square.html

Ratstravaganza Continues : Fox 5 Discovers Rats in T.S.P. Wednesday Night

2011-07-28T01:40:00.001-04:00

Ray Gets an A

2011-07-28T01:21:00.005-04:00

Hard to believe but true .After the hell that the Dept . of Health and Mental Hygiene visited on Ray a couple of months ago , today an inspector gave Ray a sanitary inspection grade of "A".

T.S.P. Ratstravaganza Continues....

2011-07-27T15:41:00.004-04:00

The Parks Dept. is today taking some flack for the rat population in Tompkins Square Park .From what we've seen over the last 4 or 5 years that population hasn't changed all that much . When we first posted on rats 4 years ago the level of rat activity was about the same as it was this last Saturday night when we pictured some of the T.S.P. rat population.Rats have as far back as we can remember wandered into the children's playground .The holes are just as common but in different areas . Perhaps some of the criticism of the Parks Dept . is misdirected and unfair .

In recent years poison application has been curtailed because of the possibilityty of harming a varying Red Tail hawk population .Poisons work unreliably , rats figure out whats safe to eat and poisons of any kind are not always eaten though the slop left behind by humans is always eaten .The larger portion of the TSP rat population is nearest to where there is the most such slop .

Parks personnel have for some time been filling in rat holes , digging up rat nests and killing rats in the areas where the food supply is greatest .Ground cover which obscures rat holes has also been removed throughout the park.

Rats need food and there is plenty of it in TSP. The more food the larger the rat population .The problem in TSP is that humans leave behind large quantities of uneaten food . The charitable organizations that admirably feed many a hungry soul contribute to the problem when those that they feed leave uneaten food strewn about the park .Pigeon ladies strew bread and other foods about the park lawn .This pigeon food is eaten by rats too .

We all need to be more careful about placing uneaten food in the trash containers .The charitable organizations should be required to clean up after those they feed .The Parks Dept. needs a garbage detail that empties trash containers and cleans up food spills much later in the day rather than as they do now in the early afternoon .The larger portion of the uneaten and discarded food supply is produced in the late afternoon to early evening .Reduce the available food supply and we will also reduce the rat population .

NY Post Photographer Stalks a Tompkins Square Park Rat

2011-07-26T21:43:00.002-04:00

Both channel 4 news and the NY Post were in Tompkins Square Park tonight to picture the TSP Ratstravaganza

Saturday Night with the Rats of Tompkins Square Park

2011-07-25T01:46:00.003-04:00

In a land of giants it is good to live in a hole in the ground.

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Saturday Night on avenue A

2011-07-24T04:02:00.000-04:00

Woman Assaulted on 9th Street Just East of Avenue B

2011-07-24T04:00:00.000-04:00

Shortly before midnight Saturday night multiple 9th precinct units answered an assault call at a location directly across the street from the Cristadora on 9th Street . At the time of the call a woman was being assaulted by a man . Police sources claimed that the man and woman knew each other .We were not able to determine how badly the woman was hurt nor were we able to determine whether the man who had assaulted her was taken into custody .

When Sitting at the T.S.P. Chess Tables Be Sure to Have a Chess Set with You

2011-07-23T16:59:00.003-04:00

The only guys remaining at the tables this morning were the ones with chess pieces in front of them .

Morning at 7th Street and Avenue A

2011-07-23T06:22:00.000-04:00

Group Dressed in Black Trashes 2nd Avenue

2011-07-21T05:06:00.003-04:00

30 or so protesters trashed a stretch of 2nd avenue from 9th street to below St. Marks Place around 10PM Wednesday night . Witnesses claimed that the group mostly dressed in black , some with black bandannas , emptied trash containers and tossed newspaper dispensers into 2nd avenue while chanting anti-police rhetoric. .The group proceeded down 2nd avenue seeming to have come from nowhere and disappearing as mysteriously . Several police vehicles were seen on 2nd avenue and in the surrounding area prowling , looking for remnants of the group .
http://evgrieve.com/2011/07/last-night-in-east-village-solidarity.html

Vigil for Mars Bar

2011-07-19T21:13:00.003-04:00

A candle lit end to an era .It rained at times while some inside the bar ripped the guts and soul out of Mars Bar removing the bar , brass rail and portions of the walls. Outside on the sidewalk folks held candles , drank beer and smoked acknowledging the end .

Another Day in the Neighborhood

2011-07-19T20:44:00.031-04:00

I had spent a wonderful bright summer afternoon walking with a friend down the west side of Manhattan , along the Hudson River .On my way home I decided to wend my way through the heart of the neighborhood , Tompkins Square Park .Shortly after I had entered the park a woman in the children's playground cried out "camera man!". When I turned to her she pointed to a large low limb in a tree.On that broad flat limb was a pigeon ,dead and supine , offering up it entrails to a ravenous Red Tailed hawk .

As the hawk's beak ripped pink guts from the pigeon's carcass , a child's water gun propelled an arc of water droplets insufficiently high to reach the hawk .A portion of this errant stream though did reach some on Crusty Row . Some angered and vocal , one wetted man rose and walked to the fence near me saying "I'm goin' down man . Take one last picture of me before I'm dead" .I took a picture as the young man sank , finally with his knees on the asphalt , one hand clutching the iron fence .

He had a new prescription for suboxone he said , a new drug for him and he was taking it beyond the prescribed quantity with beers to get high .He achieved his desired end .An ambulance was called . Dramatic for a few moments , all changed when the now laid out young man some how rose to his feet , asked for a cigarette ,which no one had , and walked out of the park to avenue A to find one .

He Wears His Sunglasses at Night...

2011-07-18T01:30:00.024-04:00

....but the night before he was buck-naked passed out on a sidewalk , he thinks it was avenue A but he's not sure . He woke dressed but missing his I.D. and his underwear. Jewels conjectures that it was cops that dressed him disregarding his underwear which they likely did not want to touch .He has no theory concerning the disappearance of his I.D.

He spent a long miserable dry day downtown getting an I.D. and a SNAP card for electronic food stamps. There was some good fortune this day though , an acquaintance gave him a bag of dope and later in the day a bottle of vodka , which he needed because he hadn't had a drink all that day and was tremblin' a bit .

Jewels said that the shakes weren't as bad as they have been , he's been taperin' down his consumption .His doctor told him that he needs but a shot an hour to stay straight ... it keeps a little buzz on too . He's been thirsty though because he's been drinkin' vodka only , not beer . He's been drinkin' more water lately to help diminish this thirst but he hasn't accommodated successfully , the clear tasteless liquid still occasionally makes him puke .

Not all has been good with his love life either .He's been told by cops to keep his hands off the new (variously claimed 17 to 19 years of age ) admirer that he was recently seen canoodlin' with in Tompkins Square Park . Jewels claims that in the future he thus will devote his attentions to women closer to his own age , 42 .

P.S. 12 PM Monday , 18 July 2011:

Monday morning Jewels woke a little sick and as usual confused wondering what had happened the night before . This Monday morning there was blood on Jewels' hands and he had no idea why it was there .His associate from the night before woke not far away with blood on his hands too .Neither of them had a clue as to what had happened .

Later a tearful Jewels and his pal spied Timmy with a bloody shirt . Jewels and his pal had pounded on Timmy for some reason the night before .Timmy didn't remember why the two had beaten him but he did remember the beatin' and with Giovanni at his side confronted Jewels . It looked for a while like Giovanni and Timmy were going to hand Jewels his ass but Timmy and Jewels sort of made up since it took both of them to make the price of half pint at the liquor store at the corner of 4th street and avenue A

At the Movies in Tompkins Square Park

2011-07-17T19:50:00.000-04:00

Second Avenue Saturday Night

2011-07-17T14:05:00.005-04:00

Woman and Full Moon

2011-07-16T15:35:00.002-04:00

Squatter Films

2011-07-16T15:05:00.000-04:00

Avenue A Street Life

2011-07-16T15:03:00.000-04:00

Citizen Ray

2011-07-16T13:18:00.002-04:00

Yesterday ,July 15 , 2011 , Ray took the oath for U.S. citizenship .Last night Ray stood proudly beside a picture of him at the ceremony . Ray noted ,"it took a long time' . Congratulations new American citizen Ray!