Page 384 - Demo

EditorialsMagicians Behind the MiracleAnother September, another Atlantic Antic, this one-near!ypredictably-bigger and better than ever. Somehow, it%u2019sbeginning to look easy, which means someone%u2019s doing somethingmore than right.It isn%u2019t easy, of course, and credit for creating a massive andincredibly successful event starts with Joyce Gibbs, communityactivist and fair director extraordinaire. Gibbs, who this yearpulled what she says will be the last of four metaphoric rabbits outof the hat, has invested innumerable hours over the years inmaking the Antic an increasingly popular and successfuloccasion.What the public sees, of course, is a day of bike and foot races,parades, entertainment, sidewalk sales and reveling, all of whichculminates in an evening of partying. What the public for themost part doesn%u2019t see are the maps and schedules and phone callsand correspondence and literally months and piles of details to benegotiated, which Gibbs invariably does with invarying finesse.The success of the day rests on the cooperation of many, manypeople, organizations and commercial establishments, yes; but itall requires a sure-handed director to orchestrate those elements.Gibbs has managed each year to put it all together with just theright combination of professionalism and neighborhood commitment appropriate for %u201c the biggest block party ever.%u201dShould this indeed prove to be her %u201c last%u201d Antic, it won%u2019t be saidthat she didn%u2019t go out with a bang, and as far as we%u2019re concerned,with justified regret from those who have worked with her andwatched her pull out all those delightful, successive rabbits. FromSound Off F e e d b a c k fro m R e a d e rsthe first tentative and determined celebration in 1974 to this mostrecent and assured festivity, Gibbs has been helping to makebigger and better neighborhood miracles every year-and helpingto make them look effortless on the big day, which is perhaps thebiggest miracle of all.It's Bad Enough AlreadyDemocratic Judicial Conventions over the years have providedthe formalities justifying the selection of judicial candidates -therefore, in Brooklyn, elected judges - by Party regulars. Theywere usually pro forma affairs where the few dissident voices wereheard, complaining about the organization-controlled process,after which the delegates got down to the business of picking thecandidates they were told to select by the Party superiors.Now they seem to be doing away even with the formalities, asour news story this week relates. It%u2019s bad enough that the selectionof Supreme Court judges be politicized, with little regard to merit.It%u2019s even worse when that political process of selection becomes atotal sham, a sham which seems to be sanctioned by the Board ofElections.There is absolutely no justification for the Party to hold itsconvention only hours after the elected judicial delegatecandidates are certified by the Board of Elections. The onlyexplanation for this week%u2019s action is the fact that the Countyorganization is losing some of its hold on the Convention. And onemight expect some more imaginative twists in the law in lateryears as the convention becomes less of a formality. W e hope theBoard of Elections does not cooperate so willingly again.So Far AwayIt seems strange for me to enjoy a paper published so far away, but I do.I have followed so many news items that I cannot find in our local papers. Besides, the %u201c Times%u201d is so large and bulky; I%u2019m tired out trying to find what I want to read. Your paper lists events in such a way I can find the many items easily such as editorials, schools, churches, world news. I even like the funnies. I read it really from cover to cover. My grandaughter, who lives in Brooklyn, sent it to me. 1 like it so much 1 would like for you to send me the bill instead of Kristy. --Mary L. Johansen, Bell, CaliforniaHelp for CarsHelp may be on its way for Brooklyn Height%u2019s car owners. If you live in the Heights you know how restrictive the parking is. And if you live in the area of Poplar and Henry Streets you know that the whole section of Poplar Street between Henry and Hicks, both the north and south sides, is No Parking except for Police Dept, official business vehicles only.Well one of the residents of that area, a Zena R. Mendelsohn, decided to take a look into why there was no parking on one block of Poplar St. She found out that the reasons that initiated the restrictive parking were no longer applicable. Once the 84th Precinct was housed there, and naturally a precinct needed a place to park all of its squad cars, but now the precinct has moved. The building is still used by the Police Dept., but now the only cars that are parked there are privately owned vehicles that are owned by policemen to come to work.Ms. Mendelsohn wants the no parking on Poplar St. lifted so that the residents of the area may use the block for parking, and that for those cars which are on official Police business, that curb which is directly in front of the old precinct house be kept restrictive. This would effectively open up the entire north side and parts of the south side of Poplar St. for parking. This would mean fewer tickets and fewer excursions out in the cold mornings at 8:00 o'clock. As always there is a Catch-22. What this means is that the residents of the area may have to fight the Police Department%u2019s insistance on maintaining that area for pseudo Police business, when what they actually mean is that they want guaranteed parking.temporarily igiiGring wh%u00abt might need to be done, what has been done is Ms. Mendelsohn called the Dept, of Traffic on 8 September 1978 and was told that the matter would be looked into and appropriate action taken. There is no doubt that the wheels of bureaucracy will take action, but sometimes those wheels need a little greasing and a lotofguidance. So lookPag%u00a9 8, THE PHOENIX, September 28,around your block; you might be able to improve the parking. Sometimes we New Yorkers need to be reminded the city belongs to us, and we can change things. -- Carlos Huerto, Hoyt StreetThanksExtremely grateful for your marvelous coverage o f the Everyman Theatre CompanyThe PHOENIX has long been known for its extensive community coverage. Whatever space you can give us will be appreciated. --Ruth Keating, Director, BACABravo, Joyce Gibbs!With Atlantic Antic 4 now a glowing memory, a few reminiscences are in order. Last year, Robert Potts of NBC called AA3 better than all the Fifth Avenue parades and the San Genarro Festival rolled into one. Now in 1978 we can safely state that AA 4 was better than the three previous Antics rolled into one. Thank you, Joyce Gibbs.It seems hard to believe that AA 4 could have been that good -- but it was. There were more people. There were more vendors (with hundreds turned away). The parade was bigger. The bike race. The run for fun. The letter perfect weather. If ever a day celebrated the vitality and ethnicity and friendliness of a city, Sept. 24, 1978 on mianiic Avenue was ii. Thank you Joyce Gibbs.To walk along the Avenue was to trip around the world. And it didn%u2019t just happen. Special efforts were made to bring together Black participants and Hispanic participants; Caucasians & Orientals; and here, one the eve of a possible change in the mid-east, numerous Jewish groups1978shared the Avenue with our substantial Arab community. This was Brooklyn. Thank you Joyce Gibbs.And the party -- The Night of the Phoenixes. For those who were there, I need say nothing. My wife Nancy said it all - %u201c I could have stayed all night.%u201d To those who missed it, well - the food from six neighborhood restaurants was plentiful and delicious, served under the stars in a 200 ft. long treed, landscaped garden, with the Williamsburg clock and the YWCA looming above - paradise in Brooklyn. Bill Harris and Ted Hilles did a super job of getting Atlantic Gardens ready. This party was a fitting climax to a wonderful day. Thank you Joyce Gibbs.The only sad part of the day was learning that Joyce has decided that this was here last Antic. Antic 4 was all hers. With only a few people really helping, she stood alone, planning and executing the day from beginning to end - to her belongs all the glory. It seems a little sad to think of an Antic without her, but rather than worry about the future, I will thank her for the four Antics she has worked on, and especially for Number 4. What else can I say.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Joyce Gibbs. - Robert Cogen, Chairman, Atlantic Ave. CommitteeTelling You WhyI am %u201c sounding off%u201d in regards to why I urged my friends in Williamsburg to vote for Fred Richmond.I don%u2019t condone the conduct of any Senator or Congressman or any M.C. (Male or Female) who: a) Takes bribes from Foreign Nations to vote for their projectsb A Nixon or Agnew who committed treason and got away with it.c) Who puts his mistress on the Public Payroll.d) Who has a no show job is never around in crucial votes.e) Who is a drunk or drug addict wellcovered up. Or -f) Has a wife that is one - yet she knows many Top Secrets.Is it not a question of degree? Is a homosexual desire to be punished by banishment, while the others go scot free and are the subject of underground talk? Trade it to %u201c Yellow Journalism.%u201d Poisoning our confidence in our elected officials.it is not much more healthy for our political health to have this Richmond-------... .. -1------------------------n T7-.SJ-. .1.. it. . uumci uut in me LiViucmij mePrimary and the Democratic voters said - Ues! So do 1 - Amen! -Rnlng D. Lasher, East New York AvenueFrom A FanHerewith, a fan letter.Since the strike began, mornings are deadly, Yesterday, with my coffee mugsteaming, I watched a fly buzz around the kitchen. But on Friday mornings I can red the PHOENIX! Joy reigns, the morning is whole, and I sally forth to right wrongs and the world had best watch its step.The current issue (9/14) is first rate. Lucette Lagnado%u2019s piece on Flatbush and its FDC is perceptive and incisive on a set of issues that are a paradigm for urban woes and hopes. And the two pieces on the interim papers and out-of work reporters made the strike real and accessible in a way that the interims haven%u2019t. And - what bounty! - even a sports page, with NFL news!For those among your readers who can%u2019t cope with the daily sense of loss, you might advise them that through rare foresight I have saved back issues of the %u201c Times%u201d for the past year, and am willing to dispense a small fix of old news to any needy soul who will cart them away. Best wishes. --John c. Muir, St. John%u2019 s PlaceGrateful for GrantOn behalf of Project Reach Youth (P.R.Y.) I wish to extend our sincere thanks to Natalie Abatemarco of Brooklynin-Touch and Assemblyman Michael Pesce for their timely help in obtaining a grant for P.R.Y. from the American the Beautiful Fund. This money was used to enable our young people to hold a highly successful P.R.Y. Variety Show and Block Party on August 17th. The program was ably coordinated by Mae Jackson, Willie Pitre, and Dale Frangipane of the P.R.Y. staff, along with invaluable help from numerous parents and Community volunteers. Our sincerest thanks to all those that made this event such a tremendous success for our young people. - Jack Uhrich, Career Exploration Center Project Reach YouthA Great DayI wish to recommend to all readers of the PHOENIX (and especially the youngsters) %u201c Echoes of the Drums%u201d - the presentation of the Museum of the American Indian - (til Oct. 31) at the U.S. Custom House Building at Broadway and Battery Park (Bowling Green Station), N.Y. It%u2019s only one stop from Boro Hal! and it is absolutely magnificent! I advise the PHOENIX come down and cover it. The audio-visual presentation, sculptures, photographs and artifacts are a treasure.Then take a walk to Battery Park's Castle Clinton which was a tort then became Castle Gardens where Jenny Lind, %u201c The Swedish Nightingale,%u201d made her U.S. debut in 1850. Then have coffee or lunch at the Seamans Church and Institute in the shadow of Mother Seton%u2019s Church and Shrine - all this one stop from Brooklyn! A truly golden autumn afternoon. Du go! -Nino Pantano, President Street