harlem guerrilla garden.

our guerrilla garden on 128th is starting to bloom.

stop and frisk. part 1

as a freedom loving american, something going on in new york city really threatens me. it's stop and frisk. nyc police can stop anyone, on the street with no reason, and publicly search them.  how would you like that?

well, those of us who are white, over 30, or female, don't really have to worry.  our chances of being randomly stopped and publicly patted down are very low.

but if you are dark skinned, male and in your teens or 20s this will happen to you in new york.  it happens to the guys on my street, it's happened to college kids going to columbia and cuny, and it would happen to barak obama if he was back in his twenties living in manhattan.  600,000 stops last year.  90% of those searched are innocent pedestrians but their human and constitutional rights are routinely flagrantly violated on the reasoning that if you search 10 young black men, one will be carrying a weapon or drugs.

it's more like things that happened to german jews in the 1930s than something that's actually occurring today in the land of the free.

i strongly suspect that if they searched 10 stock brokers, more than one would have drugs (i mean, i've known some stock brokers,) and quite possibly something that qualifies as a weapon as well.

empor-mayor bloomberg promotes this policy and says polling shows most new yorkers support it.  that's shocking and disgusting.

i guess people condone such authoritarian abuses because it's never happened to them.  this year, let the police run their hands over the bodies of, and through the pockets and purses of, 600,000 truly random new yorkers while others watch, and we'll see how much support it gets.

biked over the bridge from harlem- to randalls island.

this is what i wish our guerrilla garden could look like!

brooklyn art library, mary m galli sketchbook

beautiful illustrations from mary's sketchbook for the sketchbook project 2012, at the brooklyn art library in williamsburg. 103a west 3rd street.

public opening friday june 22 4pm-8pm.

more mary galli here
more mary galli and brooklyn art library here

belmont stakes- suits, dresses, hats at the races.

              they're off!

the winners-

many women wore tomato red dresses.  i wore dark- but i did have a tomato red "accessory" !

pic below from the royal ascot fashion show- from fashion editor at large. details there.

giles hat.

and here's a wonderful object from new orleans magpie-

mike's gala birthday weekend

maison premier

friday night was the beginning of a gala birthday weekend for mike! so after the lecture series at international center of photography we went down to the bowery hotel for a drink.  the lounge, as usual, was reserved for hotel guests and vips, but the host made an exception and offered us a comfy table across from the fire! nikki's visiting, and she joined us just before kiefer sutherland walked in, arms linked with a very pretty woman in her 30s or 40s with susan sontag grey hair.
drinks downed, we did a swanky bar hop over to balthazar for more cocktails and oysters before hitting the hay.

next morning- williamsburg.  spoonbill books.  the ink was running out at the spoonbill books photo booth, so mike is blue and nik is orange! maison premier is known for oysters and absinthe- which we had- but they do a great bloody mary too- a great one! coffee after at el almacen. later a midnight stop at the warm hearted harlem dive bar, paris blues.

continuing the feting this morning, (thanks to long distance bankroll from ralph and brenda) a big delicious brunch at oficina latina in nolita. and a mighty good bloody maria. thank you so much ralph and brenda!  the last three pictures are of fjallraven, vintagy swedish camp and outdoors clothes etc. more party tonight. restrained, i hope. i have to work in boston tomorrow! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!