The choreographed performance, inspired by Chinese and African dance, was set to New York hits like Frank Sinatra, “New York, New York” and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind Part II.”  And with the census deadline less than a week away, they closed the performance shouting in unison, “Get Counted NYC, It’s Not Too Late”. 

“I view this as a way to get the word out in a new and unique way, that at the same time demonstrates that we’re still here in New York and we still count in New York,” Meeta Anand, a Census 2020 Senior Fellow at the NY Immigration Coalition, said. She wore a mask that read “Get Connected”, designed to get passers-by to fill out census forms. “We are full of people, cultures and experiences to celebrate and we’re doing that today here.”

Melva Miller, the CEO of the Association for a Better New York, said the event was part of  an ongoing effort to get New Yorkers counted during the final stretch and highlight the importance of the census in a very non-traditional way.

“There are individuals who need more encouragement to fill out the census,” Miller said. “ We know where they are, we have the data. We know how we can target them and get them to actually complete the census form.”

Dancers participate in a flash mob in Times Square to raise awareness for the Census 2020. Photo by Courtney Guarino

The group had set up tables alongside Duffy Square with local census takers ready to help people fill out their forms electronically. 

COVID-19 has made it increasingly more difficult to spread awareness and education on the 2020 Census, specifically to those in historically undercounted communities. According to Miller, social distancing halted in-person outreach, like street fairs, block parties and houses of worship, which is how reaching these vulnerable communities is most effective.

Miller said some people just don’t understand the importance of the census. Others are immigrants who fear the information will be used against them. A part of their efforts are to demystify the misinformation to ensure all voices are counted and heard.

“It’s about explaining what exactly the census means to you from the moment you walk out your door to the moment you reach your destination,” she said.”

A census response representative stands by to help people fill out their 2020 census forms. Photo by Courtney Guarino

The dancers were both professional and just ordinary New Yorkers from across all five boroughs, made up of children and adults. They twirled ribbons, stomped and shook their hips and raised their hands in the air.

City Council candidate, Marcelle Lashley-Kabori, was one of the energetic dancers. She said that by not filling out the census, you become invisible. 

“You might as well make sure you are represented the way that you want to be represented, if not, people will make a decision for you,” Lashley-Kabori said. “Being able to take the census allows you to say “no, here is how I’d like to be represented”, vs. someone just making assumptions about who you are and what you need.”

Dawn Kelly of the Nourish Spot was one of the sponsors of the event .Photo by Courtney Guarino.

Census data determines the allocation of trillions of dollars in federal funding to various programs within communities — affordable housing, Medicaid, roads, bridges, free lunches at school, even how to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, and more critical services. Not to mention the amount of congressional representation.

“There is so much at stake for New Yorkers, we could lose two congressional seats. That’s a fact.” Aarti Choly, the Deputy Director of Strategic Planning and Executive Affairs at NYC Census 2020, said. “In 2010, we lost two congressional seats. If we’re not counted, we could lose two more seats this year.”

Having less congressional seats in the house also means having less of an influence in the 2024 presidential election. Two seats lost, meaning two less votes for the New York electoral college. 

“If you care who our president is and how much we have a say in that, it’s just another indication on how important the census is,” Anand said.

The post Census flash mob dance on Times Square appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

But gone are the exuberant tour ticket vendors persuading visitors to buy a double decker bus tour. Those jobs were lost as tourism is virtually non-existent. For the past seven years, Ademuyiwa Onitiri worked with TopView sightseeing tours selling tickets for their double decker sightseeing bus before the lockdown. 

‘‘There was one day I drove past Manhattan and I felt like oh my God, I miss Times Square,’’ said Onitiri.

 His last day in Times Square was in March, shortly after everything was shut down as coronavirus cases rose.

‘‘It’s not mostly about missing Times Square, but the income…as well, he said. “ I miss the activities .I miss the side attraction, the performances.”

Olayinka Oloruntimilehin is a colleague of Onitiri who also worked with TopView . She has been selling tour tickets since 2018 and laments that it’s a ‘different world for them’.

‘‘I had colleagues that applied for unemployment on the 17th (March) as soon as they put it on the (notice) board, no work no work,” she said.”  I thought it was going to be like the president was saying, ‘it’s a flu, it’s going to vanish.’ I believed that and then two weeks, one month, two months, three  months ( passed).’’

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Onitiri said he spoke to an average of 100 people daily.

“We are independent contractors,’’ he said. “Independent contractors meaning that we work on our own time and we are just paid commission on the sales that we made.’’

His average was selling about 20 tickets a day, he said. A 48-hour hop on and off pass cost  $89.

But with no tourists in sight, these two ticket vendors, both of Nigerian origin, have been out a job.

‘So basically, I have been looking for something else to do, like another job,’’ said Oloruntimilehin.

Onitiri said he had to apply for unemployment to make ends meet.

‘‘It’s just not very easy, especially when the bills are not going to wait, they keep coming,” he said.” I have been living on savings and even it’s depleted to almost  zero. So, seeking government assistance for now, which I have never done before, because I like to earn my living.’’

Top View will resume on July 20 and  is slashing prices up to 75%.

However, it’s unclear if there will be tourists by then with international flights still restricted and a 14- day mandatory quarantine in place for persons travelling to New York from other states with high corona infection rates.

In his briefing on Monday,  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said they have had new infection cases coming from other states. 

‘‘We are already seeing it,” he said. “We have had significant clusters with people if people came out of state. They came in, they attended a function, bang! The next day we have an increase in the infections. We’re doing so many testing and so many tracing that we can trace it back to patient zero and they are very often from out of state.’’

The tour ticket vendors believe people will be scared to come to the city.

‘‘Everybody hears about New York City and they are very afraid to come to the city because it was  the epicenter of the Covid-19,” Ontiri said. “So because of that people are scared to come.”

He said he has friends from other states who are wary of coming to the city.

‘‘ I have some folks, some friends that are living in other states had hitherto the ambition to come to the city to have fun,” he said.  “But right now everybody cancelled it and I’m sure it would be like that for some other people too. So, it’s not going to be business as usual for now.’’

 In 2019, 66.6 million visitors traveled to New York City for business and leisure trips according to NYC & Company’s annual report.   Eighty percent were domestic tourists while international visitors made up 20%.  They generated close to $70 billion in revenue. 

Oloruntimilehin said it will be impossible for an out of state visitor to manage the lengthy quarantine required in same cases and still have vacation time left  to enjoy the city’s available attractions.

“For me the basic things we do as ticket sellers we won’t be able to do it,’’ said Oloruntimilehin.

The post  Tour ticket vendors miss the hustle and bustle of Times Square appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

This past weekend, an unexpected visitor came to Times Square.

Times Square welcomed Kehinde Wiley’s “Rumors of War” a 27-foot bronze statue of a black man with dreads wearing  “urban wear” — a hoodie, ripped jeans, and Nikes, while sitting atop a horse in mid-gallop.

The statue, which sits in the bustling plaza closest to 46th Street, was created by the  Nigerian-American visual artist and native New Yorker, whose most recent claim to fame is the 2018 oil painting portrait of former President Barack Obama. 

The statue, which mimics the statue of Confederate General J.E.B Stuart, provides an impressive trifecta of accomplishments for Wiley. It is his first public work of art, his biggest in size, and unarguably his most awe-inspiring, even for a place such as New York. The statue has been a jaw-dropping sight for visitors who can be seen circling the statue, reading the inscription to the left, moving to the center, craning their necks in order to take it all in from top to bottom, and then walking to the other side to assure that they hadn’t missed anything. 

LaDarryl Blair, 22 a rapper from Dallas, Texas, came to New York City for a business meeting, and admitted he didn’t really pay much attention to the statue at first.  He was focused on taking photos with his friend. Once he took time to learn about the significance of the statue, he became intrigued.

“This is groundbreaking and controversial for a lot of reasons,” Blair said. “It’s going to push the envelope because a lot of people would have been scared to do this type of thing, especially in a place where the majority is white people.”

Blair, said the statue’s bold message encourages him to continue to be bold in his music career, too.

“I like to stray from the norm and push kids away from doing drugs.’ he said. “The hip hop industry influences black youth to do crazy things. I think they need to hear something different.” 

Blair also expressed frustration, drawing a parallel between how the sculpture celebrates  the black man and the September 2018 shooting death of Botham Jean, a 26 year old black man from Dallas, and the meager 10 year sentence his killer received earlier this week. 

“It’s frustrating and I can’t even put into words what would it would have been like if it was a black man who entered a white woman’s home,” he said. “I think it just goes to show why these sculptures are important because we aren’t heard enough. We have so far to go.”

Darian Jones, 24, a paralegal administrative assistant came to New York City for business and was pleasantly surprised to come across Kehinde Wiley’s “Rumor of War” an  art installation in Time Square. Photo by Sope Aluko

 Darian Jones, 24, a paralegal administrative assistant, from Dallas, Texas said the messaging was very powerful to her.

“In terms of the message, I can sum it up in a few words:  rise above,” she said.“I see the hoodie and it represents the Trayvon Martins of this time. The different pieces that he put on the statue are many items that African Americans wear everyday and are stereotyped for. You wear a hoodie, you’re a thug. You have dreads, you’re not well groomed. I have so many thoughts and just not enough time.” 

For Paul Ferrara, the monument has served as an opportunity to talk to the public about his passion for art education, as an Art Ambassador for Time Square Alliance, a group founded in 1992 that works in the plaza to promote major events.

“When I found out about this possibility [of the statue being unveiled here] I was very excited to engage with people about it,’ he said. “It’s a sculpture that’s really changing the dialogue. There’s so much going on with monuments, evaluating what significance they hold in society and the stories that they tell.  What Kehinde is doing with his work is changing the story and offering another story.”

The sculpture will be in Times Square until December, and then be moved to Richmond, Virginia It will be permanently installed in Virginia’s Museum of Fine Arts on Ashe Boulevard, less than a mile from the J.E.B Stuart monument.

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As the sun began to set over the Manhattan skyline yesterday, and the day began to turn to night, the action off 42^nd and Broadway was just getting started. The sounds of car horns, peddlers selling goods and advertisements on the jumbo screens were met with a different sound. It was the sound of a group of people, united by a single cause that filled the nearby street corners with observers, listeners and chanters.

It was a demonstration over the conflict at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, between Israel and Palestinians. A crowd gathered on the nearby streets to listen to the words, chants and thoughts of those in support of the Palestinians The mosque has been at the heart of a lot of unrest because it is an 8^th century holy site, revered by both Jews and Muslims. For Jews it is known as the Temple Mount, where Abraham offered his son as a sacrifice and the location of two revered Jewish temples. But Jews have not been allowed to pray there. The mosque is considered the third holiest site in Islam and now there is fear that the rules will soon change because conservatives have been pushing for more access to the site. Recently Israeli police raided the mosque in what they called a security operation.

Diab Mustafa, 47, President of the Palestinian American Community Center, said Israeli forces entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked Palestinians using a wide array of tactics including, bombs, bullets and even tear gas canisters. In the process of these attacks, damage was done to the mosque itself.

Diab Mustafa, President of the Palestinian American Community Center, stands at the back of the demonstration, wearing a Palestinian flag. Photo by Wyatt Salsbury

“The Palestinians and the Muslims and all freedom loving people are here to demonstrate against what Israel is doing to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine,” said Mustafa. “Basically, we as Muslims, as Palestinians, are protesting today for the message of Aqsa, for the safety of the message of Aqsa, and for keeping the Israeli settlers and Israeli army from entering and desecrating the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

But the pull to the site is strong for the Jewish people.

“This is a holy site,” said Eli Akbar, 78, a Muslim originally from Guyana, South America, who attended the demonstration. “This is where Christ was crucified… and the prophet of Islam ascended in air to the heavens to receive God’s final commandments to mankind.”

Palestinians and Muslims can’t demonstrate in Jerusualam, Akabar said,

“They lock up the Muslims,” he said. “They find an excuse to use brute force and for a small demonstration…they shoot to kill.”

About 200 people attended the Times Square demonstration, which was part of a two day effort.

“Free Free Palestine. Long Live Palestine,” they chanted

For many, the demonstrators was a human rights issue.

“It’s all about human rights,” said protestor Denise Rickels. “And we (the U.S.) talk about human rights, and then we support governments that abuse human rights.”

The post Palestinian anger over Al Aqsa Mosque heard in Times Square appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

As temperatures dropped to 25 degrees late Monday morning and the snow began to accumulate on the sidewalks and neon lights, only the brave stood snapping selfies in Times Square. It was a race against incoming blizzard conditions from winter storm Juno.

According to Times Square Alliance statistics, Duffy Square the northeast corner between 46th and 47th street, had over 107,000 visitors this time last year. Today, there were only a sprinkling of tourists and ticket sellers and not one costumed character.

“We are trying to make the most of the last hours of our trip,” said Thomas Hewes of Oxford, England.

Hewes is on his last day of a week long vacation with his girlfriend. He anticipates their flight home will get cancelled later today, so they decided to venture out for a little more sight seeing. He said he is a little skeptical of what he called dramatic news reports and laughed at the storm nickname Icezilla.

“American’s have a way of exaggerating the weather” said Hewes, 26.

On the other side of the square, Stephen Velasquez of Washington Heights stood bundled with a clipboard greeting the slim number of pedestrians walking by. He is a ticket promoter, selling day of tickets for tonight’s Broadway shows. He says the winter weather advisory hasn’t slowed purchases just yet.

“Mondays are typically slow in general, and while the weather doesn’t help much, it’s mild right now,” said Velasquez.

Velasquez, 25, is a veteran of harsh weather conditions. He experienced last year’s record breaking winter and says he is prepared for what ever may come later today.

Stephen Velasquez of Washington Heights attempts to sell tickets to tonight’s broadway shows in Times Square despite looming blizzard conditions. Photo credit: Megan Jamerson

“I’m ready for it,” said Velasquez. “I’m wearing new boots, I already did my groceries and have water at home. Hopefully I won’t have to work tomorrow because it may be a ghost town”.

When he gets word that the subways are shutting down, he said he will call it a day so he can make it home safely.

Not everyone at Times Square was as experienced with winter weather. Roel Arriesgado, 36, stood with a large grin and three warm layers as his picture was taken.

“This is my first experience with snow ever and I love it,” said Arriesgado of the Philippines. “I’m amazed and very happy and chilled inside and out”.

Arriesgado, had been sightseeing since early morning. In attempt to see everything on his list before the storm hit he got an early start. He had already seen Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the 9/11 Memorial was next on his list. He said he wasn’t disappointed with the storm forecast, it was exciting instead.

“This is like a whole new world, a whole new thing for me,” said Arriesgado.

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NYPD is in place at Times Square for Super Bowl week. By Zoe Lake

As frigid temperatures and Super Bowl fever sweep the city, New York businesses are gearing up for what is sure to be a busy weekend. Dining deals, party packages, and drink promotions mean big business, especially for those establishments close to Times Square, where ‘Super Bowl Boulevard’ will draw large crowds throughout the week with events including a toboggan run, and NFL autograph tent, among others.

Meg Sylvester, 26, manager of Social Bar .com on 48th and 8th, is anticipating a major increase in patronage over the weekend, and said they are prepared to handle the Super Bowl crowds.

“With our close proximity to Times Square we are anticipating a larger crowd,but its really just about being prepared. All staff will be on hand, it’s going to be a great weekend,” she said.

Establishments near Times Square have been warned that road closures surrounding the area in preparation for the opening, operation, and closing of Super Bowl Boulevard this week might affect their deliveries but Sylvester isn’t worried,

“The mayor’s office has been really good at letting us know about road closures, sanitation crews, and waste pick-up so we can prepare. There’s nothing to contrast this event to, so all we can do is be prepared,” she said.

Paul Downey, 33, of Manhattan, manager of McHale’s Bar and Grill on 51st and Broadway, agrees;

“We’re kind of winging it a little bit, we don’t know what’s coming, and we don’t know what to expect we’re just planning on being busy,” he said.

Paul Downey, 33, the manager of McHale’s Bar and Grill is prepared for large crowds this weekend. By Zoe Lake

Downey plans on having extra security on detail but feels good knowing the NYPD will likely ‘have a cop on every corner.’

Downey, and Eric Shon, 34, of New Jersey, who owns Shon 45 Wine and Spirits, also near Times Square, said business has been unusually steady after Christmas and New Years; a time where it traditionally levels off. Shon believes this has left him better prepared for the high demand that is sure to come with Super Bowl weekend.

Shon, 34, of Shon 45 Wine and Spirits stands in his shop ready for Super Bowl Business. By Zoe Lake

“We’re pretty well stocked, Christmas and New Years hit us pretty hard so we’ve been trying to compensate for that,” he said.

Shon expects that liquor and wine deliveries, which average at about 5-10 a day for his shop, will increase leading up to the weekend, especially with the influx of fans staying in nearby hotels.

Times Square Westin office manager Chainika Sachdev, 26, of Edgewater, says they are expecting a full house.

“We’re pretty booked up this whole week,” she said. “Bookings went up as soon as the two teams were announced, but were not oversold.”

Sachdev expects that between last minute bookings, and walk-ins they will likely fill all their rooms this weekend. Many other area hotels are anticipating the same given their proximity to the game itself, which is being held in New Jersey.

As the countdown to the first cold weather Super Bowl in nearly 20 years winds down, New Yorkers don’t have to worry about local businesses getting cold feet,

”We’ll be ready for them,” chuckled Downey. “And hopefully the weather will hold up too.”

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Artist Steve Lambert shakes the hand of a curious pedestrian at his “Capitalism works for me!” exhibit in Times Square yesterday. Photo by Zoe Lake.

Artist Steve Lambert knows how to draw a crowd.

Curious pedestrians gathered in Times Square yesterday afternoon in front of an enormous blinking blue and white sign reading “Capitalism works for me!”

This is Lambert’s art. Two digital scoreboards labeled ‘true’ and ‘false’ glowed red underneath the bright lights of ‘capitalism,’ beckoning onlookers to cast a vote at an erected podium before the sign. Lambert, the creator of the sign, stood at its side encouraging bystanders to participate in his work, by voting and discussing the issue.

“You’ve thought this through?” he asked one participant cocking his head and raising his reddish brown eyebrows under a felt fedora, “you ready to go?”

Lambert is engaging as he worked the crowd with lots of laughs and strong handshakes. His distinctive long red beard and thick framed glasses setting him apart from the throngs of touristy looking spectators that gather around him and his artwork.

Raised by parents who both left religious callings, (his mother was a former nun, his father, an ex-monk), Lambert struggled in life to create meaningful artwork.

“There was a point I thought, ‘what was the most important thing I can do?’ I wanted to do something about capitalism that wasn’t tedious, and was fun,” he said.

The purpose, the artist explained, is to create a space for people to think about a political issue and come up with better solutions.

Lambert is no stranger to making a political statement. In 2008, in collaboration with dozens of other artists and writers, Lambert successfully distributed in New York City, and in other cities around the nation, over 80,000 copies of a fake future edition of the New York Times that declared the Iraq War over, and placed former President George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney on trial for war crimes. The tagline of the phony paper read, “All the News We Hope to Print.”

In another artist collaboration, Lambert founded the Anti Advertising Agency, an ongoing project that he and other participating artists hope will redirect the way the American public view commercial advertising and its saturation into the American life. Lambert’s piece on capitalism, displayed yesterday, and on display again from October 6 through the 9th, in the ad soaked bowtie of Times Square, is an extension of his desire to reshape the American understanding of advertisement.

“I have great admiration for advertisement and signs,” Lambert said. “I don’t like the way they are used but what they do is incredible. I use the tools of advertising to pull people in a different direction. I am not trying to make art for an exclusive audience.”

Nearby Lambert stood a beaming Sherry Dobbin. The director of public art in Times Square, Dobbin is responsible for bringing together Lambert and the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF), whose 2013 Crossing the Line Festival of the Arts is cosponsoring the Times Square installment.

“As soon as I heard about Steven from other curators, I said this has to happen in Times Square,” she said. “It’s the right site and the right timing. One of the things we like to do is pick challenging pieces that are site specific, that engage people get them thinking. I am very excited to see this happen. It is such an iconic space for free speech, freedom of the press, [and] the free market, Times Square is an ideal location.”

On average over 350,000 pedestrians pass through Times Square every day making it an ideal venue for interactive installation art. Graphic designer Daniel Dunnan, 34, of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, came to Times Square today to see the piece and chose also to participate by voting against capitalism.

“I was a little torn,” he said “I think capitalism does work for me. I indisputably live a very charmed existence, but I know people who it doesn’t work for, and I would like it to work for everyone.”

Lambert said Times Square could not provide a better platform to reach a large audience and foster discussion. Capitalism, the artist thinks, is not socially acceptable to talk about.

“We literally need a large flashing sign to create a space for it,” he said. “All great things are complicated.”

The post Quirky capitalism art work on display at Times Square appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Hundreds of protestors rallied for Georgia death row inmate, Troy Davis, who is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. Photo by Eric Zerkel.

Times Square was engulfed in protest Friday, as hundreds assembled to garner support for Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis.

It has been nearly 20 years since his conviction for the 1991 murder of off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989. If carried out as planned, Davis’ execution would take place next Wednesday, his fourth scheduled execution in four years. The fight to save Davis has gone global with rallies and social media campaigns launched to stop the execution.

But Davis’ conviction has come under recent fire. With a lack of physical evidence, Davis’ conviction rested on the testimony of nine witnesses, seven of whom have recanted or altered their testimony, some even doing so under sworn affidavits.

With so much controversy swirling around the case, protestor Ferix Navarro, 22, of the Bronx, insisted that the protests were needed in order to put political pressure on the key decision makers in the Davis case.

“We’re in the middle of New York City,” Navarro said. “We’re trying to create pressure so that the Georgia board of paroles can understand that this is no joke. They are going to see us here. The entire city is going to see us here. This is Times Square, if you don’t see us here, you won’t see us anywhere.”

Ferix Navarro, 22, of the Bronx, is fighting to save Georgia death row inmate, Troy Davis. Photo by Eric Zerkel

With the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles set to hear the case for possibly the last time on Monday, protestor Muriel Tellinghast of Brooklyn remained hopeful that the protests would have an impact on the board’s decision.

Protestor Muriel Tellinghast, of Brooklyn, wants to stop the execution of Georgia death row inmate, Troy Davis. Photo by Eric Zerkel

“I don’t know what it takes to move the board of pardons and paroles,” Tellinghast said. “We’re asking for them to reach inside of themselves and try to find the basis of American justice. To prove that justice does exist and does prevail in the state of Georgia, and they are willing to at least give a new trial.”

Crowds gathered to observe the large group of protestors as they attempted to increase awareness of Davis’ case.

King Tuck, 27, of Brooklyn, watched the protests from across 7th Avenue. He said the protestors made him more aware of Davis’ case.

“I feel good that people are coming together to save a life,” Tuck said. “Whether a man was wrong or right, I feel life is more important than death. There is a better way to do something to somebody than killing them. You can’t penalize a man for murder by killing him. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

The protests were sponsored by Amnesty International, which has been following the Davis case since it began, and according to CNN, has collected over 663,000 signatures on a petition opposing the death penalty for Davis.

Caesar Taylor, 30, another bystander from Brookyln said after listening to the protests he was skeptical about Davis’ case.

“There is some funky business going on down there,” Taylor said. “Many innocent people are in jail, not everyone in jail is guilty.”

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