Sure, you can call me out for having sour grapes. It would have been nice if my piece was as prophetic as the Follieri one before it. I had been operating on the premise that the SLA would follow the rule of law, one of the cornerstones of democracy. It is, after all, a premise upon which good governance rests. The equal and impartial application of laws, a government of laws and not of men is crucial to our democracy. As Montesqueieueie writes, "Law should be like death, which spares no one."

Sadly, after heartfelt pleas from the Post's Steve Cuozzo (with whom I work and whose work I generally admire), who claimed closing would "cost more than 1,000 jobs, leave our most iconic celebration spaces empty for the foreseeable future, and knock the fizz out of the city's culture of excess - the golden goose that keeps the talent-fleeing, jobs-hemorrhaging "Empire State" afloat." Substantively what he's saying is, "Well, even though Cipriani broke the law—laws which we, as a community, have voted on as necessary to safeguard public welfare—it would be too disruptive to actually enforce the laws." This is dangerous since it is the same logic that allows sitting heads of state who happen to be war criminals to escape prosecution, the same logic that allows powerful corporations to continue to burgle the public, that keep the rich and powerful and corrupt all of the above. It's disappointing Cuozz would make these bogus and dangerous claims. But it's shocking that Jeanique Green would act on them.

As Chris Shott reports in the Observer, Green explained her shit decision by saying she was concerned with "the impact of our decision on the individuals who are working there." This is myopic and wrong. By letting Cipriani escape unscathed and by seriously undermining the SLA, Green is sending a signal to other restaurateurs of substantial size that they too are above the law. Instead of worrying about Cipriani employees—something the Ciprianis don't do themselves—she should have been concerned at the precedent she's setting. She put a Band Aid on a cut and simultaneously shot herself—and her city—in the foot. What does she care? I'm sure Ms. Green is enjoying some complimentary bellini on the house.

NYU—administration there is terribly excited about the project, BTW, and also coincidentally they own everything surrounding the park—will hold its commencement at a baseball stadium during the renovation and undercover cops posing as drug dealers will be relocated to Tompkins Square.

The renovation "could begin as soon as the end of this month and is projected to last two or three years," according to NYU's Washington Square News. We're pretty sure the reason neighborhood activists lost is because they have the ugliest website we have ever seen.

No word yet on how the renovation will affect the "creepy" southwestern corner of the park that NYU students are afraid to walk through and where a woman was found dead yesterday.

(We'll see you at the tree-lighting tonight!)

Preserve Washington Square Park
Wash. Sq. Park Renovations OK'd [WSN]
Body Found In Washington Square Park [NYDN]

HBO cultivates 'Gardens' film [Hollywood Reporter]