Jose Pimentel appeared in court on November 20, but not yesterday. (Photo: AP)

Jose Pimentel, the 27-year-old Muslim convert of Dominican origin who was arrested  November 19 for planning an alleged terrorist attack, waived his right to appear in court for a scheduled hearing yesterday.  He has been charged with multiple felonies, including explosive intent, conspiracy, criminal possession of weapons and supporting acts of terrorism.

Pimentel was scheduled to appear in New York Criminal Court at 2:15.  However, as his new attorney, Lori Cohen, had predicted in a phone interview last week, “Nothing is going to happen Monday.”

Of the 96 cases listed on Judge Frank Nervo’s docket, Pimentel’s case had attracted the most attention; reporters were lined up,  ready for action, when Cohen left the courtroom to consult with her client. She returned to announce, “The defendant has agreed to waive his presence in court.”

The grand jury action was postponed until January 9. Typically, a person arrested on felony charges cannot be detained without an indictment or hearing for more than six days, but in Pimentel’s case the defense and prosecution agreed to an extension.

“I don’t think he wanted to come to court,” Cohen later told reporters.

Last week, Cohen said she had taken on the case, after a Legal Aid lawyer had a conflict of interest, because, “I’m a criminal attorney. This is what I do.”  She said she had no idea how long a trial might take, but believed that her client could receive a fair trial despite potential biases against Muslims.  She declined to estimate how long discovery would last. “The process will take a while,” she said.

Asked whether Pimentel’s mother’s apology to New Yorkers had made her job harder, Cohen replied, “His mother said what she said. I don’t control her.”

Pimentel, arrested in Washington Heights with a bomb almost ready, the police said, has been held on Riker’s Island without bail.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office could not be reached for comment.

Gus Rodriguez works to draw customers to the Fast Cash Pawn Shop. (Photo by Jacqueline Guzman)

Gus Rodriguez spends the bulk of his day pacing a block of East 125^th Street, wearing a multicolored sandwich board. He hands passersby a card adorned with images of dollar bills and gold jewelry; it says, “We buy gold.”

“Cash for gold!” he shouts, alternating English and Spanish, standing outside Fast Cash Pawn Shop. “Open seven days a week!” He’s one of dozens of hawkers lining the streets of Harlem, Washington Heights and beyond, hoping to lure customers with fast cash for their gold. After working his block for just two months, Rodriguez has already seen a lot of traffic into the store.

The price of gold skyrocketed to a record $1,895 per troy ounce last month. Though the price has declined since, a stroll along any major uptown commercial row shows that the cash-for-gold trend isn’t limited to the Diamond District and it isn’t over. An influx of pawnshops and gold dealers has emerged throughout upper Manhattan in the past few years. More recently, other types of businesses like barbershops, housewares retailers and bodegas have also added gold-buying, possibly unlicensed, to their services. Rodriguez says he can get four or five walk-ins a day just from his flyers and cards.

“I make sure I get them to the right pawn shop because there’s another one down the street,” he says; a potential customer could get confused. Clusters of pawnshops, often on the same block, have opened within the past five years, all advertising similar “top dollar for your gold” offers.

At Arthur’s Gold Market, two blocks west, Gavriel Shaulov works with a regular clientele, an older group of neighbors he affectionately calls “churchgoers.” He has been buying and selling gold for 10 years, but has noticed a change in transactions recently: he’s doing less selling and much more buying.

“I’m seeing things that I used to sell,” says Shaulov, who remembers every piece he’s sold. “Now they’re bringing them back to me.” The end of the month has become his busiest time, he says, because many customers need cash for monthly bills.

Angela Herbert, who started buying jewelry from Shaulov six years ago, has started selling her old pieces—at a profit. She recently brought in a European gold bracelet she paid $160 for. To her surprise, Shaulov valued it at $260.

For the most current information, please refer to www.kitco.com

“I’m not going to lie,” Herbert says. “I have shopped around.” A competitor offered her $100 for the bracelet. With increasing choices, people selling their jewelry have the advantage, as shop owners are aware.

“They all hop from store to store looking for the best price,” says Rush Kat of Queen Natasha Inc. Pawn Shop on Amsterdam Avenue. He has also seen many new stores surface recently, including one around the corner.

A piece of gold’s value depends on its number of karats and weight measured in pennyweight, a precise measurement equal to about 1.55 grams.

“People come in with jewelry they’ve been wearing for a long time,” says John Diaz, owner of Prestamos Pepe, at West 140^th Street and Broadway in Hamilton Heights. Customers often expect windfalls, he explains, not realizing that Grandma’s heirloom earrings don’t weigh nearly as much as the 24-karat gold bars they see on TV. Most jewelry weighs less than an ounce and is 10- to 18-karat gold, Diaz says. Moreover, the high market price refers to gold that has undergone a lengthy melting process.

Sometimes a greater problem arises: the customer’s precious possession isn’t even real gold. To verify, gold dealers test the metal with a drop of nitric acid. If the metal changes color or deteriorates, they won’t buy it. Diaz finds telling a new customer that one of the hardest parts of the job. “In some cases it’s not even silver,” Diaz says. “ It’s just bad metal.”

A couple of weeks ago, Shaulov encountered a pendant stamped 14-karat gold. It passed the solution test, so he bought it. Later, he discovered the piece was merely dipped in gold; beneath the surface lay another metal. “It’s always a gamble,” he says. “You learn from your mistakes.”

On Tuesday, the price was $1,656 per ounce of 24-karat gold according to Kitco Metals Inc. The price has fallen since its peak, but appears to be slowly increasing again. Still, Diaz points out that prices have actually remained remarkably high for several years. The real difference since August, he says, is that now more people are selling.

“We’ve seen everything here,” he says, “from little old ladies who come to sell their jewelry to college students making money for books.” Just a year ago, Diaz only had one person a day interested in selling. Now, one person comes in every couple of hours, wanting an estimate.

To sell gold, customers have to document that an item is not stolen. In New York, a dealer must wait 15 days after a sale before doing anything with the item, in case it has been reported stolen. After it has cleared, the gold usually goes through a line of refineries to be melted down until it reaches 999 or “three nines fine” gold status; then, investors can purchase it in bars.

Both Shaulov and Diaz agree that the business is changing fast. Diaz says he sees fewer mismatched scraps from the back of someone’s drawer these days. “Now people are coming to me with their finer jewelry,” he says. “There is definitely a gold rush in upper Manhattan.”

The most shocking piece Shaulov has seen came from a walk-in. “This lady desperately needed cash,” he recalls. She entered the shop, pulled out an 18-karat gold tooth from her mouth and asked for a quote. “We went through the whole process,” he says. “I ended up paying her $50 for it.”

]]> http://theuptowner.org/2011/10/25/is-there-a-gold-rush-in-upper-manhattan/feed/ 1 http://theuptowner.org/2011/10/11/after-many-years-and-moves-restored-hamilton-grange-finds-new-home-2/ http://theuptowner.org/2011/10/11/after-many-years-and-moves-restored-hamilton-grange-finds-new-home-2/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:59:31 +0000 Ali Leskowitz http://theuptowner.org/?p=7489

Re-enactors playing Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton chat with visitors waiting to tour the home. (Photo by Ali Leskowitz)

Elizabeth Hamilton, the wife of founding father Alexander, found herself understandably confused when the Hamilton Grange National Memorial re-opened this fall. “The home is a little differently located than I remember it,” she told visitors waiting to tour the recently-renovated Federalist house where Alexander Hamilton spent his final two years.

Re-enactors portraying the Hamiltons were among many attractions celebrating the memorial’s re-opening in St. Nicholas Park last month. Built in 1802, Hamilton Grange had been closed to the public since May 2006 to allow for a move from the yard of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. The Grange had been moved from its original home near West 143rd Street after St. Luke’s purchased it in 1889, but that location on Convent Avenue caused physical changes to the home and was ultimately deemed too cramped.

The National Park Service acquired the building in 1962, with the proviso that it would one day move once more, to a site where it could be fully renovated to reflect Hamilton’s vision. “The legacy of the house could not be restored until we found a suitable location,” said Liam Strain, a National Park Service district ranger for Manhattan. “The house was sideways; it looked nothing like Hamilton intended.” The Park Service spent $14.5 million on the renovation.

After years of negotiating for an appropriate setting, in 2008 the Grange was rolled over a system of railings to its present site in the park. Still technically part of Hamilton’s original 32-acre property, the new site provides more space and allows architectural elements, including balustrades and porches destroyed in the 1890s, to be reinstalled. A garden has replaced the Grange’s former location.

The relocation required long and complex discussions, Strain said—but he and the rest of the Grange team feel that the community appreciates their work. “It’s been overwhelmingly positive,” said Strain of local response. “Harlem is very old. Harlemites are a very proud group. We’re very happy to reflect that and make the Grange part of the bigger community.”

Stephen Spaulding, chief of architectural preservation for the Park Service’s Northeast Region, echoed Strain’s sentiments. “There’s been a lot of angst and disagreements because it was a big change,” he said of the house’s move. “Hamilton Heights grew around it. But once it got here and started taking shape, the community has embraced it because it is just such a presence.”

Spaulding used archives and personal letters, among other sources, to determine how the Grange looked in Hamilton’s lifetime. “You take how you think the building evolved and conclude how it looked, what the foundation looked like, the changes that occurred,” said Spaulding. The main staircase and the dining room’s large mirrored doors were restored, and the original piano that Hamilton’s daughter Angelica played is on display.

While major construction is complete and most furniture is in place, small details, including some chairs and lamps, have yet to be added. Asked how long the work was completed before the opening, Strain joked, “What time is it now?”

More than 1,000 people came to enjoy the tours and activities. Re-enactor Tom Ernest displayed colonial toys and games and led children in musket demonstrations. “I’m bringing the history of the time period to the community,” he said.

American Heritage Chocolate demonstrated how chocolate was made during Hamilton’s era; he loved drinking chocolate, a custom of the time.

Booths set up outside exhibited blacksmith work, yarn making and colonial instruments. Music honoring Hamilton’s Caribbean roots—he was born on the island of Nevis—provided a soundtrack.

The main attraction, however, was the house itself. Visitors waited in a line that snaked onto the sidewalk for a chance to tour the ground-floor historical exhibit and first-floor re-creation. “They’ve done a really beautiful job restoring the house,” said Manhattan resident Kristina Song as she wandered the refurbished rooms.

Having visitors finally able to see the product of years of hard work made the effort worthwhile, Spaulding said. “The best part of it has been watching the reactions of the Hamilton family and the community,” he said, declaring the Grange a crucial part of local history.

National Park Ranger Davin Ganpat agreed. “It’s a part of the community, part of Harlem,” he said. “The city built up around the Grange.”

“I’m in a jam,” Young wrote. “Does anyone know someone reliable and trustworthy?” Within hours, three people responded with phone numbers for dog walkers, along with detailed recommendations and prices.

Young’s plight and its resolution demonstrate how uptowners are using social media in their daily lives. The group Young asked is called Harlem Hill Concerns, a free Google Group with 218 members, many of whom don’t know one another offline. Its mission statement calls it an “inclusive and diverse neighborhood advocacy association committed to enhancing the quality of life in our community of Hamilton Heights,” founded by A Coalition To Improve Our Neighborhood, or ACTION.

In the early days of the Internet, techies established bulletin boards for their peers, allowing access to news and discussion for those who dialed in via modem. Later, newsgroups such as Usenet allowed users to share information among many people at once, and mass mailing lists soon emerged as email became mainstream. Forums also became a common tool for online communities. More recently, Google Groups, a DIY mailing list and discussion forum combination, emerged as a social tool for communities that requires little tech experience to set up.

“ACTION and the Google Group were started about one and a half years ago because we felt there was a need to connect neighbors,” said coordinator Maarten Vandersman via email. “Especially those who live here but do not have the time to attend meetings.”

Nearly 800 messages have been sent through the group, addressing a range of topics: community board meetings, service projects, crime alerts, and yes, dog walking. Group members post messages that are then emailed to everyone. Individuals respond directly to the original poster. It’s like an electronic, neighborhood club. Other, smaller Google Groups exist uptown — one for parents with children for example — but ACTION’s is a constant bustle of activity.

Heidi Stubner, for example, recently wanted to find a physical therapist who specializes in back problems. Twenty-three minutes after Stubner sent her query, Vandersman shot back an email: “I think my physical therapist is great: Michael Zazzali. He is with Physical Therapy Associates of New York.” Vandersman then provided contact information.

Two days earlier, Anna Pettersson sent an inquiry asking where to get a couch reupholstered. Six instant responses later, a slightly overwhelmed Pettersson closed the discussion by thanking everyone for their suggestions. That didn’t stop another member from posting two detailed recommendations for upholstery shops a couple of days later.

While personal recommendations are a fringe benefit, the group’s core purpose is to focus on neighborhood issues. Coordinators and volunteers attend meetings of community boards and homeowners associations, pass along information and organize advocacy efforts. Vandersman says they hope to support small businesses, reduce dependence on the rest of Manhattan for services and attract more families with children to the neighborhood. “Many in this community can ill afford the drop in employment and income that come with a recession, and the bad days of the crack epidemic and gang violence are still a vivid memory,” said Vandersman. “I am optimistic that we will be able to hold on to the gains that were made in the last 10 to 15 years.”

Of course, social media isn’t all work and no play, and neither is Harlem Hill Concerns. Helen Rogers just posted a forward, “Come join me at book signing on Makin’ Music NY,” it reads. “Something for all music lovers!”

Unwelcome graffiti adorns Hamilton Heights, Manhattan. (Photo by Shane Snow)

There’s a wall on 149th Street between Convent and Amsterdam that used to be gray. Now, it’s still gray, but it’s also purple, orange, green, and yellow. Last spring, the city applied a fresh coat of paint to cover the graffiti that had overtaken it, but community residents say it wasn’t long until taggers reclaimed the wall with cryptic, multicolored messages: bw7, mskz, and Janster.

Graffiti is a problem New York City has been battling for decades. Like a parent who cleans up after relentlessly messy children, city crews trail behind graffiti vandals in a never-ending cycle. The U.S. Department of Justice says graffiti contributes to declines in property value, reduced retail sales, and heightened fears of gang activity.

An amendment Mayor Mike Bloomberg signed earlier this month may make cleanup faster and more thorough.

In 2005, the City Council passed Graffiti Free NYC, which provides free paint and cleaning services and has cleaned 2.5 million square feet of graffiti so far this year, said the sponsor, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.; however, the paperwork and permission process has hindered cleanup efforts.

The new amendment “shifts the burden from owners to the city,” Carole Post, the director of agency services in the mayor’s office, said at a City Council hearing in September. “Once graffiti is identified the city will send a notice to the property owner saying the city will clean it for free, but if the owner wants to opt out they can within 35 days,” Post said.

An upper Manhattan coalition, ACTION, argued that the amendment wasn’t enough. Spokesperson Gail Cohen said property owners should face stiffer penalties if they don’t let the city clean up their graffiti.

“Don’t baby people,” Cohen told the City Council. “We want a strong bill.”

ACTION insists that New York adopt the stricter measures that have enabled cities like Chicago and Seattle to virtually eradicate graffiti, Cohen said. Citing research by Graffiti Prevention Systems, which surveys graffiti sites in Los Angeles, Cohen said the new law should also mandate speed.

“Data shows that graffiti removed within 48 hours has the best chance of not being repeated,” Cohen said.

Councilman Erik Martin Dilan held a different position. “Homeowners who are vandalized are victims of a crime, and to turn around and punish them is unfair,” Dilan said.

The mayor’s office said it issued 389 notices of graffiti violation to property owners last year. The fees collected for violations help pay for city cleanup crews.

At the hearing Vallone said compromises were required to pass any law, but maintained the new bill was stricter than the original and would improve the city’s graffiti situation. The new law was enacted Oct. 7.

Another concern for uptown residents involves graffiti on landmarked buildings. One Hamilton Heights resident spent tens of thousands of dollars on new windows, iron gates, and stonework restored for an 1897 limestone townhouse he purchased in 2005, only to see the house spray painted by vandals a few months later.

“We were horrified,” said the homeowner, who asked not to be identified for fear of being targeted again. “And let me tell you, most of the neighbors were horrified, too.”

By law, the Landmarks Preservation Commission must review proposals for any exterior changes to historic buildings, including stone refinishing. So owners either trudge through the commission’s permit process to remove graffiti themselves, or allow their buildings to be painted over by the cleanup crews. The alternative is to let the graffiti remain.

“I called the free service and they asked what color to paint it,” the homeowner said. “But it’s limestone!”

Many Harlem homeowners don’t want to clean their graffiti, Cohen said, because they worry about being vandalized again.

Just like the wall on 149th Street.

Posters, like this one outside City College, offered a reward for information about the serial rapist. (Photo by Sonal Shah)

By Rachael Horowitz and Sonal Shah

After an intense two-month search, police have arrested the man they believe responsible for raping and robbing four women in Hamilton Heights during August and September.

DNA from the suspect, 21-year-old Vincent Heyward, matches DNA samples from all the rapes, and a 5th attempted attack, according to officers from the 33rd Precinct.

At his September 21 arraignment, Heyward tried to escape the courtroom but was easily restrained. He will next appear in New York Supreme Court on October 22. “It’s too bad he got lawyered up,” said NYPD Deputy Inspector Scott Shanley. “I want to know what drives this guy.” Heyward had been in a Virginia jail for car theft and had been released in June.

Police involved the community in the investigation, widely publicizing a sketch of the suspect based on surveillance footage and victims’ descriptions. They also circulated still photos from the surveillance.

At a community meeting, Sgt. Richard Crespo from Manhattan Special Victims assured residents that the police were following all leads from the four attacks and encouraged local residents to provide information. He even urged people to “ask your kids to snoop around.”

“If this guy’s in jail, it’s because of the community and the police,” said Officer Alan Asusta of the NYPD Crime Prevention Section at a City College meeting after Heyward was arrested on September 21.

The rapist first attacked on August 1, assaulting a 59-year-old woman at knifepoint in the courtyard of 565 W. 148th Street at 2:45 a.m.. After the second attack on August 10 – on a 23-year-old woman at 144th and Convent Avenue – police began looking for a single perpetrator.

The rapist struck again at 4 a.m. on August 18 when he followed a 69-year-old woman into the lobby of an apartment building at 765 Riverside Drive as she returned from work. She was raped and robbed inside the building elevator.

In the last attack on September 7, a 28-year-old woman was raped in her apartment on St. Nicholas Avenue. The attacker jumped to her apartment’s fire escape from the roof of a neighboring building and entered through a bathroom window.

Details of the attacks led some residents to speculate early on that the rapist might be local. “I get the feeling he might be from the neighborhood,” Raquel Monserrate, who lives at 788 Riverside Drive, said in August. Police said that Heyward lived on Edgecombe Avenue, close to where the four attacks occurred, and they later confirmed that he probably picked out victims and followed them from the subway. Monserrate was avoiding going outside to walk her dog during those quiet hours. “Since that happened, we bought wee-wee pads,” she said.

Deputy Inspector Shanley hopes that the community involvement will remain even though this particular crisis has ended. “People have to realize he’s not the only rapist in the world,” he said.