Power Returns To Much Of Downtown NYC

After five days, electricity was restored this evening to parts of downtown Manhattan, almost a full day ahead of yesterday's forecast by Con Edison. According to Miss Twitter, folks were literally dancing in the LIT streets of Chelsea, the Flatiron, the East Village, Chinatown, Soho, and parts of the Lower East Side.  Con Ed tweets this disclaimer: "For all in networks that have been restored who are still out- your building likely has H2O/wind damage that building manager must repair before restoration."  The West Village, where flooding was more severe on the blocks near the Hudson River, remains dark, as do portions of other Manhattan neighborhoods.

Morning View - Doggupy Union Square

Afternoon View - Union Square

Afternoon View - Broadway & East 18

SLIDESHOW: Homeless Youth Rally

Tonight's rally for homeless LGBT youth was quite well attended with hundreds of activists, queer youth, and members of the media crowding Manhattan's Union Square. The event was hosted by the Ali Forney Center, whose executive director Carl Siciliano roused the crowd with exhortations to do better by the city's homeless kids. Also speaking was actress and longtime LGBT youth advocate Ally Sheedy, Cathy Marino-Thomas of Marriage Equality New York, and a rather passionate member of the City Council whose name escapes me at the moment.

TONIGHT: Rally For Homeless Gay Kids

New York City's Ali Forney Center will host a rally at 6PM tonight in Union Square.

As LGBT youth come out at younger ages, thousands face homophobia in their homes. Many are rejected by their families and driven from their homes. In New York City an LGBT teen is eight times more likely to experience homelessness than is a straight teen. LGBT youths suffering homelessness on the streets face terrible risk of HIV infection, physical and sexual assault, and suicide.

In 2008, a census of homeless youth in NYC found that every night almost 4000 youth are without stable housing. However, New York City and New York State combine funds to support fewer than 200 youth shelter beds. In 2011 Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature cut funds for homeless youth by 50%, and Mayor Bloomberg sought to cut funds for homeless youth by 60%.

On October 24th the LGBT community will come together and rally to support our most vulnerable youth and demand that every homeless youth in NYC be provided safe shelter. We will come together to affirm the basic human value of our youth and to assert that they should not be thrown out of their homes, nor should they be left on the streets without shelter. We want our elected officials to hear loud and clear that we are a community that will seek to protect our teens.

I will attend and look forward to seeing you there.

NEW YORK CITY: Cops Pepper-Spray Wall Street Protesters, Over 100 Arrested

Yesterday the NYPD crashed a protest march from Union Square to Wall Street, pepper-straying some young women and arresting over 100. The #OccupyWallStreet action has been going since last week.

Scores of protesters were arrested in Manhattan Saturday as a march against social inequality turned violent. Hundreds of people carrying banners and chanting "shame, shame" walked between Zuccotti Park, near Wall St., and Union Square calling for changes to a financial system they say unjustly benefits the rich and harms the poor. At least 80 people were carted away in police vehicles and up to five were hit with pepper spray near 12th St. and Fifth Ave., where tensions became especially high, police and organizers said. The National Lawyer's Guild, which is providing legal assistance to the protesters, put the number of arrests at 100. Witnesses said they saw three stunned women collapse on the ground screaming after they were sprayed in the face.

Many of those arrested claim they were peacefully and legally occupying the public sidewalk. In the clip below, you can clearly see that the women being pepper-sprayed were penned in behind a police fence and were not a threat to anybody.

Afternoon View - The Goddess Of Victory

The column in the center of Union Square "commemorates the victory of Admiral Dewey in 1898 at Manila Bay during the Spanish-American war."

Morning View - Union Square

Afternoon View - Strand Books

Afternoon View - Bongs & Jeebus

Next to the Union Square street vendor selling gas mask bongs (!) is some dude selling Jeebus over a portable PA system. If you're passing through, their shouting match is quite amusing to behold.

Monday June 14th: Ali Forney Center Rally To Protect Homeless LGBT Youth

The Ali Forney Center will hold a rally in support of LGBT youth on June 14th at NYC's Union Square.

As LGBT youth find the courage to come out of the closet at younger ages, thousands are being rejected by their families and forced out of their homes. As many as 40% of the homeless youth in the United States are LGBT. Homeless LGBT youth are subjected to violence and harassment on the streets and in mainstream youth shelters. This phenomenon of thousands of LGBT youth being forced from their homes due to homophobia, stripped of economic support, and made to endure homelessness represents the most terrible cruelty and intolerance currently directed at the LGBT community. We call on the members of the LGBT Community, our straight allies, and on all decent people who believe that youths should not be thrown to the streets for being LGBT, to rally in support of LGBT homeless youth.

Here's the event's Facebook page. I'll be there. Come out and get your photo taken with Carl Siciliano and I'll publish a slideshow here on JMG.

International Pillow Fight Day 2010

International Pillow Fight Day took place in 150 cities around the world yesterday. Here's a look at NYC's event in downtown Manhattan's Union Square. The bottom clip was shot from the department store across the street.

Massive Union Square Rally Promises 2010 Retribution On New York Senate

A crowd of over one thousand attended tonight's rally in NYC's Union Square, where Marriage Equality NY provided a roster of the state and city's top political leaders and activists, all of whom vowed revenge upon the 38 state senators that voted against equality.

Among the speakers: Gov. David Paterson, activist Corey Johnson, NY Sen. Tom Duane, NY Sen. Liz Krueger (my rep), NY Asssemblyman Micah Kellner (my rep AND a JMG reader), and Marriage Equality NY head Cathy Marino-Thomas. Among those attending: uber-blogger Andy Towle (whose coverage is here), Gay City News staff Paul Schindler, Duncan Osbourne, and Andy Humm, and rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker.

Throughout the crowd and from the stage, threats of retribution rained down on the "Hate 38," the Senators that voted against equality. Particular scorn was heaped upon the eight traitorous Democrats, whose faces adorn many placards and who were named and shamed from the microphone. Hearty cheers went up whenever our new heroes like Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson were mentioned. The crowd was instructed about the coming 2010 elections and the NYC seats now in everyone's crosshairs. The evening was definitely not another useless venting of rage, as these things are often characterized.

NYC: Marriage Rally Union Square 6PM

Marriage Equality New York will stage their own marriage rally tonight at Union Square, 6PM. MENY events tend to bring out the major politicos - City Council members, borough presidents, etc. Embiggen the above for the deets or go here for more.

Video: NYC Marriage Rally & March

I shot this just as the march stepped off for Union Square, so folks were just getting their chants going. If you hang on to the end, you may spot a couple of Gotham celebrities.

Morning View - Virgin Union Square

The Farmboyz and I stopped by the Union Square Virgin Megastore this weekend, where they are in the last days of their closing sale. Lots of good stuff still to be had, mostly at 30-50% off. The fixtures are for sale too, in case you need a giant metal spinning 500-CD rack. (We passed on the item below.) And thus ends general music retailing in New York City.

No Wal-Mart For Union Square

The Virgin Megastore space in Union Square will not become a Wal-Mart after all, much to the relief of many New Yorkers. Via Gothamist:

While the shuttered Times Square Virgin Megastore transitions into a Forever 21, WWD is reporting that the Nordstrom folks might be taking over the Virgin Megastore space. The real deal high price Nordstrom department store you've seen in the mall isn't looking to move in, however, it's their discount shop called The Rack that would be unpacking there. A spokeswoman for Nordstrom told WWD, “We looked at Union Square and would like to have a Rack in Manhattan. Nothing is signed yet. We are talking to them.” But word is the lease is "very, very close" to being signed.

Nordstrom Rack? Nevah hoid of it.

NYC: Vermont Celebration Tonight

Vermonters and fans will gather in NYC's Union Square tonight at 6:30PM for a celebration of yesterday's approval of same-sex marriage. Civil Rights Front is organizing, so expect more wacky fun like at Friday's Iowa celebration. I'm told there will be cake!

Wal-Mart In Manhattan?

Gotham's blogs were buzzing this weekend over the rumor that Wal-Mart is looking into leasing the giant Union Square building soon to be vacated by Circuit City and Virgin Megastore. New York Magazine reports that Wal-Mart reps have issued a "non-denial denial" of the story, saying that the discounter has no "announced" plans for a NYC presence. I can only imagine the political theater that will unfold if the union-busting giant tries to set down in Union Square, the city's ground zero for progressive activism.