New American Youth Ballet

Liz Conner interviews some members of Battery Park City’s New American Youth Ballet preparing for a June 18th appearance at Public School 89 called “Royal Wedding of Classical Music and Dance”.

(Viewable in full-screen 1080iHD)

The deadly crossing

Construction on Route 9A, also known as The West Side Highway, and closure of the pedestrian bridge south of Albany Street have created a very dangerous situation. The ground-level crossing of The West Side Highway at Albany Street can be a death trap.

In February of 2009, Battery Park City resident Marilyn Feng was killed and her boyfriend seriously injured when a drunk driver struck the couple. Ms. Feng was an intern in Manhattan Borough president Scott Stringer’s office. In late September of 2009, another pedestrian was struck by a motorist, but he survived.

Funding for the permanent pedestrian overpass has been cancelled. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer discusses the problem.

The Urban Farm

June 21, 2011

Warrie Price, President and Founder of the Battery Conservancy, gives Liz Conner a tour of the new Urban Farm growing vegetables

(Viewable in full screen 1080iHD)

Rockrose allows pedophile to move into 41 River Terrace

August 26, 2011

A few weeks ago, a resident of the northern part of Battery Park, a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon with young children, approached BatteryPark.TV with a concern over a registered sex offender

Registered pedophile Phillip Riback, now living in Battery Park

who had been allowed to move into a nearby high-rise condo directly adjacent to Stuyvesant High School: 41 River Terrace. In our preparation to cover the story, we became aware of some nice reporting already made by the Tribeca Tribune. We refer you to their articles for the details.

According to the Tribeca Tribune, Rockrose Development mistakenly allowed the registered sex offender, former pediatric neurologist Phillip Riback, to sign the lease without properly checking his background. The paper updated the story on August 18. Riback’s lawyer, famed defense attorney Paul Shechtman, a Tribeca resident, stated that Rockrose had terminated his lease and that Riback was not contesting he matter. It is unknown when Riback plans to move out, or whether these facts are correct at all.

41 River Terrace, by Carl Glassman

The Tribeca Tribune also reports that the New York City Department of Probation, charged with tracking sex offenders, was not answering any of their questions.

During our own investigation, Rockrose management completely stonewalled us. Our calls were not returned and the names of the managers, such as Richard Edmonds (listed by the Tribeca Tribune) were withheld from us.

To inquire for yourself as to whether the sex-offender Riback actually moves out, and to where, you can call Rockrose at (212) 847-3700. The Rockrose offices are at 666 5th Avenue if they do not return your calls. Riback’s attorney, Shechtman, can be reached at (212) 223-0200.

Attorney Paul Shechtman

Please send us an email if you have any updates to this story that you think should be covered.

No doubt about it. That’s a farmer’s market.

August 4, 2011

By Steven Greer, MD

In what could be the freshest vegetables and fruits in all of Manhattan, and the most verifiably organic farmer’s market in the city, the Urban Farm of the Battery Conservancy is now yielding fruits and vegetables. They have set up a small market at the entrance. Much of the harvest comes from plots grown by local school children.

(In 1080iHD)

Is the NCAA corrupt?

March 31, 2011

The best journalists in all of sports, in our opinion, are Bryant Gumble, Bernie Goldberg, and the others on the cast of HBO’s Real Sports. They just aired a special on corruption in big time college football and basketball. Star players are routinely given cash, and many say the NCAA and coaches look the other way.

The NCAA, the universities, and the coaches feed off of the billions in revenue made possible from television rights and sports apparel deals. The players that drive it all get paid a few thousand under the table. They are banned from any sort of outside financial deal with local business. Also, players cannot hold part-time jobs or sell any personal memorabilia.

As the revenue grows, each punishment handed out to the small players becomes more hypocritical. For example, during the 2010-2011 football season, the NCAA declined to punish Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. Doing so would have taken away lucrative money from Auburn, tarnished a memorable year good for the entire sport, and hurt a good individual.

Where does the NCAA go from here? Currently, money talks. The top teams in the NCAA are significant sources of tax revenue and jobs for the small towns such as Auburn, Ann Arbor, Lincoln, etc. If Wall Street can seemingly function without real reform as too-big-to-fail entities after bringing down the world economy, can we expect reform at the NCAA?

Ivy League Athletics Commissioner Jeff Orleans and Billy Packer made the most poignant comments. The NCAA 2010 revenue was at least $760 Million, yet it pays no taxes masquerading as a non-profit. Likewise, the cash to players goes untaxed. If lawsuits challenge that, it will be a whole different ballgame for the NCAA.

New Schools

March 22, 2011

CB1 Chairperson Julie Menin describes the new schools underway in the CB1 region of Downtown New York.

Skateboarders assault food vendor near the Ritz Carleton in Battery Park City

October 2, 2010

On Saturday, October 2, approximately 20 skateboarders, many from Brooklyn, were performing jumps, damaging the granite benches and walkway in front of 17 Battery Place.  Across the street is the family tourist area of Battery Park, Statue of Liberty boat tours, and the upscale Ritz Carlton hotel. The concierge of one of the residential buildings nearby, who called the police, said that this gang frequently menaces the neighborhood.

Before the police could arrive, a few of the skateboarders became verbally abusive to the corner food vendor. The man, who wished to be anonymous, is an immigrant from Egypt. As the video shows, one of the teens then pushed the man and threw some punches. The group then dispersed and headed north on West Street.

Several minutes later, a few of the teens returned to skateboard on the Ritz Carleton property, then headed north on the “Pataki Highway”. The NYPD patrol officers, with the assistance of a BPC citizen tracking the teens, caught three of the gang in Rector Park in front of 200 Rector Place. All of them were from Brooklyn.

These young gangsters are not to be dismissed as “simply rebellious”. As previously reported in the local press, one BPC citizen was beaten with a pipe near the South Gristedes store this past winter by marauding teens not from the neighborhood. BatteryPark.TV also learned that a male BPC Park Ranger was struck in the back of the head with a skateboard while confronting a group of skateboarders.

As a word of caution to anyone encountering these gangs and wanting to intervene, they know fully well that they are breaking rules and laws. They will often taunt authorities into a fight knowing that their underage status makes it a felony for an adult to lay hand on them, unless it is self defense. In the video, one can see this strategy at play.

The gangs have grown in number because they know that the park rangers have no authority to stop them in most cases. However, with just a few arrests or citations by NYPD, the youths will likely stop their behavior. Extra police patrol has been added to the area. Stay tuned.

Update: October 9

More footage of the skatebaorders damaging expensive stone and steel fixtures by the Oceans condo on 17 Battery Place.

The commercial real estate bubble

October 6

The other shoe to drop for New York City will be the massive rate of defaults on commercial real estate loans. Up to a trillion dollars in loans could go unpaid within the next year or two. Will lenders renegotiate or will they evict all of the businesses in those buildings causing an even great unemployment problem and tax revenue shortage?