I have to admit, writing this is going to be difficult. Difficult because I am still SO incredibly angry several days later after what happened Thursday night at the CB2 meeting which determined by a sub committee of the community board if Pieces would get a liquor license to move into a new space 300 
feet from their current space.
The new space would be at 61 8th Street next to a Gray's Papaya and down the street from a tattoo place and a Dallas BBQ.
There was an emphasis on keeping the street quiet so that everyone there could go to bed at 10pm. I just have to wonder - what happened to New York City? The New York I've always known - even coming from Wisconsin, I expected it to be noisy. I expected to live over a business.
If you want quiet, it's best for you to live in a suburb in Ohio, not the best city in the world.. but as you know, Mayor Bloomberg would prefer it if New York City was a sleepy suburb for the ultra rich. I'm not entirely sure who they expect to work their restaurants and hair salons in that scenario, but that's another blog post entirely I suppose.
Back in 1994 when I first moved to the city, I lived on Irving Place and lived over a restaurant. The establishment itself wasn't noisy (although I could occasionally smell pasta.. marvelous!) but the trash trucks at 5am sure made me crazy for the first few weeks. When I complained to the realty company I rented the apartment from, they literally laughed at me saying "It's New York honey, get used to the noise or move away". I couldn't help but think the same thing to the 8th Street residents during the meeting - and they've been here for decades.
Grub Street blogged about it on Friday - and the article does justice to what happened even if some people are commenting that it's incorrect - oh no my friends, the only way that it's incorrect is that the writer didn't quite dive into the pool o crazy deep enough.
When I was told that getting licences and permits in this day and age in New York was difficult, I have to admit I kind of thought - oh come now, people are exaggerating. But now I see why there are vacant store fronts all over town, I can see now why businesses don't want to open here - because community boards have been given free reign to think with their prejudices rather than their pocketbooks, their fears rather than common sense. They would rather believe lies that pander to their worst worries about a group like Teh Gayz rather than actually get to know the people involved and you know, maybe actually visit Pieces on any night to see exactly what kind of person typifies a Pieces patron.
Well, I can tell you because I have worked at Pieces for three years and I have rarely worked for a place that was as organized, business-like and friendly simultaneously as Pieces has been. They are intractable regarding underage patrons, they are adamant that food not be brought in from outside (ie rat magnets) and there is a such a genial presence in the place that accounts of fist fights are actually kind of funny. Pieces patrons are no saints, but they are low key, friendly, fun, local residents who go to drink, socialize, listen to pop music (like Lady Gaga and Rihanna) and get entertained by events like The Will Clark Show or Vodka's Sunday night show or Tuesday night Karaoke. Pieces is a piece of Village history but tourists seeking LGBT history go first to Stonewall - we get out of towners because of my show but, in general, this is a local West Village crowd.
The Grub Street article mentions the elderly woman on Gay Street and so let me tell you a little bit more about her. She got up to the podium and unleashed a verbal vomit diatribe against Eric and Pieces that she should be ashamed of.
She accused Pieces of drawing rats because their dumpsters are out on the sidewalk (in three years never have I seen this) and most laughingly, apparently Pieces is to blame for a bunch of used condoms splayed in her doorway.
I guess anything that goes on in a 20 mile radius of Pieces' 8 Christopher location is now Pieces' fault. Condoms? Pieces. Traffic Jam on 6th Ave? Pieces. Global Warming? Not Pieces ... well, not yet, they'll find some way to blame us for that too I suppose.
What irks me most is the intense homophobia of the residents of 8th Street. Now, you can say that I'm knee-jerking this but let's look at the facts: they would not bring up the used condoms if Pieces was a straight bar. They would not emphasize imaginary fist fights if this was a straight bar (what is 'fist fights" code for if not "no women around to attend to"?). And one woman wouldn't have used the word to describe the bar as a "clubhouse" to straight people. She just wouldn't.
Here's the thing - the West village has been super gay for about forty something years. True, it's not the center of gay hedonism that it was in the 70s, but the gays moved in, we cleaned the hood up and we have a right to be there. But as it typical, we get shoved out for condos and children. And that's not right.
Want more truth? Here's more truth: all those people opposing Pieces' move claimed that they have lived in the West Village for thirty to forty years. So they were probably progressives who loved the nightlife and the artistry that the Village had to offer - and now, decades later they are crabby and meanspirited people who see Teh Gay and think "menace".
I bet you that none of the people who spoke out against the bar have ever set foot IN the bar.. it was obvious from the way they talked about the bar - and the way they snorted in nasty disbelief that over a dozen of us live in the neighborhood. They simply live their lives to be mean to others. I half expected each of them to end their opposition speech to the bar with "and by the way, get off my damn lawn!!"
It was especially sad to hear a couple self identified gay men speak out against the bar and perpetuate the lies that were spun. I think that hurt more. I certainly don't want anyone to agree to bringing in a business that they don't want - but I also think selling us out is a cowardly act and speaks more to these individuals' need to assimilate with their neighbors than their own feelings about a gay bar on their street.
For me, from this time on, I am not supporting 8th Street with my queer dollar. I know it's wrong to withhold business from legit business owners who may or may not support the move but I just can't in good conscience walk down that street and spend money there any longer knowing that the residents of that street hate me and the people in my community. You don't want my queer dollar at a queer bar? Fine. Then you don't need my queer dollar any where on your street.
I'm not by any measure calling for an all out boycott of 8th Street but I call on you all to do what you feel is right by this. Let your conscience be your guide on this.
Where this goes from here is up in the air - there are still some steps to take but if the worst case scenario happens and there is no move, we're there at Pieces - using condoms, starting fist fights and creating havoc til the end of the calendar year. <wink>
What can you do? At this point nothing more.
Pieces collected 4,000 paper signatures from people like you and me who want the bar to go into the new location. I asked my friends at AVP, ASCNYC, Swish, Cheer New York, the Bronx Community Pride Center, the Imperial Court and Braking the Cycle to write letters of support showing the community board that the money raised at this bar is invaluable to keep these organizations running. And we were dozens of us strong showing up in support - we dwarfed the opposition.
And in the end, it's the take away point: that we are a community and that's more than I can say for the residents of 8th Street.
One last thing - much was made about people gathering outside smoking the bar and how that would ruin people's lives - what do all the thousands of other people who live on this island do about the smokers outside THEIR windows whether there's a bar there or not? Again, what city do they think they're living in?
UPDATE: SIGN THIS PETITION TO ALLOW PIECES TO MOVE TO 61 8TH STREET..!
