Two East Village police officers were found not guilty today of raping a drunken woman after helping her home to her apartment. The officers, Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata, were convicted of official misconduct for entering the woman’s apartment but acquitted on all other charges; Mr. Moreno and Mr. Mata, who worked in the Ninth Precinct, had been indicted in 2009 and their trial lasted almost two months. Visit The Times for complete coverage.
—The Local

Kenan Christiansen P.S. 122, 150 First Avenue.

In the late 1970’s, the East Village was “a neighborhood about to become something,” queer performance artist Tim Miller told The Local.

“Previous generations had established, in terms of cultural stuff, their foothold in SoHo, so it was already too expensive and certainly in my mind not nearly as radical in its politics or cultural stance” as the East Village where, he said, the feeling “was so different.” Attracted by this, Mr. Miller and other artists like him began to seek out East Village’s real estate with performance space potential.

Though performance art was not new to the area, with already active venues like popular visual artist hang-out Club 57, experimental art venue the Electric Circus, and theater space La Mama, a new wave of influential artists put down roots in the neighborhood during this time and, in particular, established queer performance spaces that would become recognized cultural institutions and cornerstones of the performance art world.

In 1980, Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver, founding members of lesbian performance art group Split Britches, organized the first annual Women’s One World Festival or WOW, a showcase plays by women authors, at the now defunct Electric Circus Club. Ms. Shaw and Ms. Weaver mounted the festival, “to fill this big dark hole. It was this big vacant space of nowhere for lesbians to perform,” according to Ms. Shaw. To advertise, she told an audience at a queer spaces forum last December, she hung huge banners along St. Marks featuring hand-drawn pictures of naked women.
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Michelle Rick

Good morning, East Village.

Wake up feeling a strange sense of vindication?

Well, if you:  a.) have a bike, b.) rode it this year, c.) became one of the unhappy recipients of one — or more — of the13,843 tickets handed out to cyclists since January; then you may have cause to celebrate. Gothamist reports that a group of cyclists are suing the city for tickets that were issued to riders for infractions that they say do not qualify as violations under city law. The law firms Oliver and Oliver Law and Rankin & Taylor are gearing up to represent the cyclists in a class-action lawsuit that should be underway in a couple of months.

Natividad Zirate, the East Village’s premier curbside bike repairman, was forced to relocate yesterday, due to construction at his normal location near Sara Delano Roosevelt Park. Mr. Zirate has provided bargain-rate repairs to passing cyclists for at the location for the past couple of summers and almost without incident. However, this season has proved different. Two weeks ago, park enforcement officers confiscated Mr. Zirate’s tools and destroyed them while he was away, claiming that by being on the sidewalk the tools presented hazardous conditions for patrons of the park. And now the new construction has pushed his business across the street to the northwest corner of Houston Street and Second Avenue. Despite these setbacks, Mr. Zirate appears intent on continuing his sidewalk operation, but is sorely in need of tools. The Bowery Boogie compiled a list of items.

And finally, while preservationists paid their final respects to 35 Cooper Square last night, the Community Board 3 listened to a variety of proposals that would allow the Essex Street Market to continue operating, though some would involve uprooting the market and moving it to a new street. Bowery Boogie has the details.

Stephen Rex Brown Preservationists gather at the site of the now-demolished 35 Cooper Square.

About three dozen locals dressed in black held what they called a vigil at the ruins of 35 Cooper Square on Wednesday, lamenting the loss of the 19th century building that was built by a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant and once hosted the likes of Diane di Prima, William Burroughs and Cecil Taylor.

“This is truly a day of sadness, said Victor Papa, the president of the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council. “It was as precious as the White House, and it’s gone forever.”

Mr. Papa and at least a dozen others spoke in front of the plot of land that only two weeks ago featured the two and-a-half story home noted for its Federal-style architecture.

Now it was nothing more than a pile of rubble.
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David Jarrett Details from a few of the buildings that would gain protection under the revised historic district plan.

The effort to grant historic landmark status to parts of East Village recently received an unexpected boost.

In an apparent response to residents’ concerns, the city has decided to expand a proposed historic district to include an additional block.

The district, which was originally designed to encompass broad swaths of properties along Second Avenue and on 10th Street, now also includes Second Street between First and Second Avenues, as well as new buildings at the corner of Sixth Street and Avenue A.

“The buildings were almost crying out to be included in the district,” said Richard Moses, a member of the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative. “It makes sense to include them, they’re very strong architecturally, and there is a lot of cohesion in the streetscape.”

The decision by the Landmarks Preservation Commission to add the buildings came as State Senator Tom Duane endorsed preservationists’ push for the expanded district.

“Many other buildings not far outside the study areas have architectural, cultural and historic significance and, with neighboring structures, a cumulative ‘sense of place,’ which makes them worthy of consideration,” Mr. Duane wrote in a letter to the commission earlier this month.

If approved, the landmark designation would essentially preserve buildings within the district. Property owners would have to win approval from the commission before making changes to the exterior of their buildings.
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Kenan Christiansen The former capital of rats at 33 East First Street.

“It’s the most ratted place around,” the neighbors used to say, but that’s no longer true.

On May 13, a construction crew arrived at the empty lot of 33 East First Street with heavy gear and a back-hoe. Rubble and rock was dumped into the sink hole, jack-hammers hammered, ply went up all around, and by the hour of noon the capital of rats in the southern East Village had fallen.

For some 20 years the rats held sway there, and built up a mighty empire from the lowly abandoned lot. Even the taxi drivers who stopped to refill at the gas station across the street were careful not to venture too close to their lair. They seemed invincible, but now it’s all over.

On the construction permit posted on the fencing, it states that a concrete slab will cover the place, and as The Local reported back in February, that the Guggenheim intends to erect a temporary urban lab at the location. The locals will not soon forget the hoards that lived in burrows under the property. But rat lovers can rest assured that their furry friends are quite alright, and have simply moved on, probably into that collapsed building at Houston and Second Avenue.

From there they will likely intensify their operations, and continue to enjoy their favorite pastime: scaring the tourists.

Photo Illustration by Tim Milk

Stephen Rex Brown Four fire trucks were on the scene.

It was a busy morning for firefighters in the East Village.

After an earlier incident involving shaken-up students on a school bus, four fire trucks responded to a defective oil burner inside of a building near 14th Street and First Avenue, according to a Fire Department spokesman.

The trucks were on the scene for about 15 minutes, beginning at around 9:30 a.m. Fortunately, firefighters didn’t face a long drive back to the station house: the garage for Engine Company 5 was directly across the street. —Stephen Rex Brown

Michael Natale

Vivienne Gucwa

Good morning, East Village.

We begin this morning with a reminder that tonight at 6, residents will gather for a vigil for 35 Cooper Square. The photo above depicts workmen demolishing the building earlier this week; the photo at right was taken earlier this year. EV Grieve has more photos of what’s left of the historic building.

Yesterday, the Rent Guidelines Board voted on a series of proposals affecting rent increases. The board backed plans that could increase rent for some tenants by as much as 6.75 percent. The Indypendent has the tally, but overall, rent hikes are on the horizon.

And there’s another event concerning possible development tonight: Community Board 3 will meet to discuss the fate of the Essex Street Market.

And in other neighborhood news, Bowery Boogie shined a light on one woman’s mission to catalogue the city’s neon signs before they become replaced by more energy efficient versions. For Kirsten Hively — who concludes her letters to fans of her project by signing “neonistically yours” — this characteristic brand of advertising is worthy of it’s own digital museum. She’s currently raising funds to create a free iPhone app that provides pictures and locations of the city’s glowing ads.

And finally, Off the Grid has some street scenes from yesteryear. Take a tour of the neighborhood via some music videos from the 1980’s.

Twelve people sustained minor injuries this morning when a school bus struck a speed bump on 12th Street near Third Avenue jostling the passengers, the authorities said. None of the injuries appeared to be serious and no one was transported to the hospital, the authorities said. The Local has reporters on the scene and will provide more information as it becomes available.—Kenan Christiansen

The police have released these images of a suspect in a purse-snatching at an apartment building on FDR Drive earlier this month.

This morning, we told you that investigators are looking for the suspect in a purse-snatching at 819 FDR Drive.

Here are more photographs of the suspect that were released by the authorities.

The police said that the suspect is in his early 30’s and was last seen May 15 leaving the apartment building where the mugging occurred. —The Local

Michelle Rick

Would-be messages from the East Village in 140 characters or less.

Divine Retribution

Clouds, rain, ice, wind or lung-stopping heat pursue
him, in any country, on almost any day. God’s
punishment for spending ten years in L.A.

Global Transport Provider

The taxi driver from Senegal has lived in Dijon, NY,
Barcelona, and Kansas. He speaks three languages. Just
another working stiff, y’all

Ost

‘The debris of laptops’ (Colin Firth) on silvery display.
Everyone mit coffee & Mac. We all changed so quickly.
Can we please change back?

East Village Grunge

Writers mythologized it, residents boasted of it, tourists
ate it up. Now landlords happily serve it to us, in a
grimy, $2,000 plastic cup

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Graphic by Tim Milk

The Merchant’s House Museum, at 29 East Fourth Street, is hosting two star attractions this season. The first, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the onset of the Civil War, is “Medical Photography from The Burns Archive.” It features photographs of Civil War casualties, meticulously documented through the war years by Dr. R. B. Bontecou, as well as a genuine army surgeon’s operating kit, complete with amputation knife. It is chilling to see the destructive effect of the period weaponry on the soldiers, corpsmen and drummer boys at the front of the lines. The Burns Collection in all its facets can be seen here.

Tim MilkThe corner of a servant’s room.

Dr. Stanley Burns’ overview of Dr. R. B. Bontecou’s photographs, “Shooting Soldiers,” can be accessed at www.burnspress.com.

Secondly, the curators of Merchant’s House are pleased to open the household servants’ quarters to the public for the very first time. These are quite possibly the oldest extant immigrant Irish living quarters in the city. See the world as they did, through the attic dormers. Observe the call-bell hooked to a chord that led downstairs, which hearkened them to their duties. Living together beneath the roof as they did, the Irish women communed much closer to the elements and much farther from comfort than did the “better half.” As always, the museum is a fascinating visit to a bygone era, with original décor and furnishings dating back to the 1830’s.

“Medical Photography from The Burns Archive” runs through Aug. 1. The self-guided tour is a continuing event. For information on hours, stop by the Merchant’s House website: www.merchantshouse.com

Michael Natale

Good morning, East Village.

The jury in the rape trial involving two East Village police officers has asked to review the plaintiff’s testimony about four visits that prosecutors said the officers made to her apartment on the night of the incident. DNAinfo reports that since May 18, the jury has requested several pieces of evidence to assist in their deliberations, including transcripts from a tape-recorded phone call and a special meeting arranged by the district attorney’s office.

East Village police are on the lookout for a man accused of mugging a 60-year-old home health aide worker earlier this month in her apartment building on FDR Drive. The authorities told The Local’s Stephen Rex Brown that this man followed the woman into the elevator and wrestled the purse off her neck. DNAinfo is on the story, too.

And finally, Ray’s Candy Store can’t stay out of the lens.  EV Grieve reports that the film crew of “How to Make it in America” used the Avenue A storefront as a backdrop for filming yesterday. Didn’t know it was one of Bryan Greenberg’s favorite places.

Stephen Rex Brown Damaso Vigo takes a defiant puff.

As you probably heard, smoking is now banned in city parks and beaches. The Local stopped by Tompkins Square Park to see if East Village smokers were following the letter of the law.

The first thing we saw upon entering the park at St. Marks Place? That’s right, a smoking scofflaw.

“You can’t even smoke in the park? Then where you going to smoke?” said Damaso Vigo, in between puffs of a Tiparillo Mild cigar. “It’s a stupid thing.”

The new law was hailed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg as an important measure to protect locals’ lungs.

“The science is clear: prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke, whether you’re indoors or out, hurts your health,” the mayor said in a statement. “Today, we’re doing something about it.”

But even some non-smokers in Tompkins Square Park were uneasy with the nix on nicotine in parks.
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Stephen Rex Brown Ray Alvarez, the owner of Ray’s Candy Store.

This morning, we told you that Ray’s Candy Store is open for business again after the Avenue A mainstay failed a health inspection last week and was forced to close for five days.

The Local paid a visit to Ray’s this morning and spoke with the owner and namesake, Ray Alvarez, who described how he and some friends worked late into the night to clean the shop so that it could eventually pass muster.

“I only slept three hours a night,” said Mr. Alvarez, who’s 78. “We swept, mopped, and patched over 200 holes. I had two exterminators come last week.”

Health inspectors first visited Mr. Alvarez’s eatery between Seventh Street and St. Marks Place last Monday, and cited the shop for contaminated food, evidence of mice in food preparation areas, and improper storage areas.

The inspector told Mr. Alvarez to close his business, but — concerned about the financial ramifications of closing —he remained open and was slapped with a $2,000 fine on a return visit the same day.

“Too many fines,” Mr. Alvarez said. “The inspectors ran out of paper, and my pen ran out of ink from signing my name so much.”
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Stephen Rex Brown.

The Local is pleased to welcome Stephen Rex Brown, who today begins work as the blog’s senior correspondent.

Mr. Brown recently worked as the editor of the hyperlocal news site, Fort Greene Patch. In 2010, he worked for The Brooklyn Paper and won “Reporter of the Year” from the Suburban Newspapers of America.

He taught journalism in Monterey, Calif. to high school students for National Geographic Student Expeditions. As a graduate of NYU Journalism’s Global and Joint Program Studies, he holds a joint master of arts degree in Journalism and Latin American Studies. His work has appeared in The Brooklyn Eagle and The Times and he has held an internship with The Daily Beast.

In addition to reporting for The Local, Mr. Brown will also serve on the faculty of NYU Journalism.

“We’re delighted to have Stephen on board,” said Richard G. Jones, editor of The Local. “He’s a dynamic young talent with a solid grounding in hyperlocal journalism and an appreciation of the innumerable storytelling opportunities in the East Village. Our readers will benefit from his reporting in the field and our students will benefit from his work in the classroom.”

Follow Mr. Brown on Twitter: @LEVStephen.