Free fun! The Free Movie Season in NYC

A diversion from the madness out there...

XOXO Betsy Combier

Free summer movie season starts tonight in Central Park with a screening of And God Created Woman, presented by the Francophile Films on the Green series. New Yorkers have a cornucopia of gratis outdoor cinema to choose from during the next three months, and to help sort it out we're putting together this compendium of all the free outdoor movie screenings in NYC this summer, from Bayside to Bryant Park.

This year's lineup is incredibly varied with something for everyone, whether you're stoked for Spongebob or fascinated by 1980s "ball culture." These screenings aren't ticketed, but many of them fill up fast, so be sure to show up early to get the best spot.

Central Park
Indulge your inner francophile with French film And God Created Woman (Cedar Hill at 8:30 pm) or catch '80s blockbusters and a pre-movie DJ set (between Sheep Meadow and 72nd Street Cross Drive) at Central Park's popular summer movie series. The music begins at 6:30 p.m. and goes until opening credits at 8 p.m.

May 29: And God Created Woman
August 25: Fame 
August 26: The Blues Brothers
August 27: Airplane!
August 28: Raging Bull
August 29: Superman II

Washington Square Park (5th Ave & Waverly Place) 
Keep up with Films on the Green at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. Show up a little before 8:30 p.m. to snag a good spot.

June 5: Caramel
June 12: Pepe Le Moko

Crochern Park (35th Avenue & Cross Island Parkway) 
Hang out by the water at Crochern Park in Bayside, Queens for this new children's classic that adults can thoroughly enjoy. The screening starts at 8:30 p.m.

June 5: The Lego Movie

Riverside Park 
Riverside Park will start off by hosting Goha and Queen to Play as part of Films on the Green. Both movies begin at 8:30 p.m at Pier 1. The rest of the lineup will take place at 8 p.m. on the 72nd Street Track and Lawn.

June 11: Hyde Park on Hudson 
July 9: Pride and Prejudice 
July 10: Goha 
July 17: Queen to Play 
August 13: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Betsy Head Park 
Head over to Betsy Head Park at Strauss and Durmont in Brownsville for a music performance by DJ Fulano at 7 pm followed by the newest version of Annie at 9 pm.

June 14: Annie

Randall's Island Park (Touchdown of the 103rd Street Footbridge)
Randall's Island Park is showing three outdoor movies this season including the pinnacle of summertime terror, Jaws. The screenings begin at 7:30 pm. Picnics are encouraged.

June 15: Jaws 
July 13: Back to the Future Part II
August 17: Frozen

Tompkins Square Park (500 East 9th Street)
Like all movies featured in this year's Films on the Green, both draw from the Mediterranean as inspiration. All movies are in French with English subtitles and begin at 8:30 pm.

June 19: Priceless 
June 26: Zarafa

Herbert Von King Park (670 Lafayette Avenue)
Along with the movie, there will also be music performances by the Bullitts and DJ Spinna. Jeymes Samuel of the Bullitts is also the director of They Die By Dawn and presents his music set as a prelude to the film so make sure to arrive at 7 p.m. to catch both.

June 21: They Die By Dawn

Bryant Park (42nd Street and 5th Avenue)
In keeping with tradition, Bryant Park is hosting an outdoor movie every Monday evening from late June to the end of August. The lawn opens at 5 p.m. for blanket turf wars picnics, and the films begin at sunset. If you don't have someone on site to grab lawn space at the stroke of 5, you can pretty much forget it.

June 22: Ghostbusters 
June 29: The Killers
July 6: The Poseidon Adventure
July 13: I'm No Angel 
July 20: Badlands 
July 27: Footloose 
August 3: Marathon Man 
August 10: Desk Set 
August 17: Chinatown 
August 24: Back to the Future

Prospect Park (Bandshell)
Stop by the Bandshell at 7:30 p.m. to experience a night of film in one of the best parks of the city. Documentary Paris is Burning explores the '80s Harlem drag balls and The Son of Sheik will be accompanied by a live orchestra playing the score. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase.

June 26: Paris is Burning
July 17: The Son of Sheik

Rockaway Beach Park (Beach 17th Street and Seagirt Boulevard)
Check out these kid-friendly screenings at Rockaway Beach, hosted by their Movie Nights in the Rockaways series. Shows begin at dusk (or around 8 p.m.), but be sure to give yourself ampletransportation time.

July 7: The Iron Giant
August 4: Back to the Future Part II

Coney Island (1001 Boardwalk West)
Coney Island will be hosting Flicks on the Beach on Mondays all through July and August. A giant inflatable screen will be set up at 1001 Boardwalk West turning the beach into a walk up theater. Bring your swimsuit and made a day of it. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

July 7: Frozen
July 21: Iron Man 3
July 28: The Lego Movie
August 4: American Hustle
August 11: Dirty Dancing
August 18: Grease
August 25: Gravity
September 2: ET

McCarren Park (Bedford & North 12th Street)
This year's SummerScreen roster at McCarren Park hits all the classic summer high points, but if your favorite movie isn't on the list, cast your ballot for the audience pick. There will also be food and live music starting at 6 p.m. Film begins at dusk.

July 8: Clueless
July 15: Wet Hot American Summer
July 22: Dirty Dancing
July 29: Dazed and Confused
August 5: Jurassic Park
August 12: Audience Pick (TBA)

Hudson River Flicks
This summer Hudson River Park is alternating between "big hit" Wednesdays and family friendly Fridays(note: they are two different venues). Movies start around 8.30 pm. Be sure to grab a bag of thefree popcorn before it runs out.

At Hudson River Park’s Pier 63 Lawn (West 23rd Street and the Hudson River in Chelsea)

July 8: The Imitation Game
July 15: Neighbors
July 22: Selma
July 29: St. Vincent
August 5: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
August 12: Boyhood
August 19: Interstellar

At Hudson River Park’s Pier 46 (Charles Street and the Hudson River in Greenwich Village)

July 10: Spongebob: Sponge Out of Water
July 17: The BoxTrolls
July 24: Pee Wee's Big Adventure
July 31: Annie
August 7: Jumanji
August 14: Paddington
August 21: Hook

Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum (Pier 86 West 46th Street and 12th Avenue)
Watch a movie on the flight deck at the Intrepid Musuem. Each screening will be introduced by a special guest, including Jeffrey Kluger, co-author of the book Apollo 13. The event begins at sunset, but free tickets will be distributed on a first come first serve basis, so arrive early.

July 9: October Sky
July 16: Moon
July 23: Close Encounters of the Third Kind 
July 30: Apollo 13
August 6: Wall-E

Brooklyn Bridge Park (Pier 1 334 Furman Street)
Brooklyn Bridge Park is the host of this year's Movies With A View. Music kicks off the evening at 6 p.m. followed by the movie at sunset. There will also be various concessions for sale and photo contests with prizes so you can win yourself a souvenir.

July 9: High Noon
July 16: Sharknado 2: The Second One
July 23: Attack the Block
July 30: Clue
August 6: Friday
August 13: Dr. Strangelove
August 20: Dazed and Confused
August 27: Die Hard

St. Mary's Park (St Mary's St bet. St Ann's Av and Jackson Av)
Anyone in the mood for Cuban culture should be in the Bronx on July 12th, where live music will accompany a documentary on the life of Celia Cruz. The show kicks off at 7 p.m. as a part of the City Parks Foundation's SummerStage series.

July 12: Celia: The Queen; music by Gerardo Contino y Los Habaneros

Queensbridge Park (Queensboro Bridge, 41 Rd., 40 Ave)
SummerStage continues with Pete Rock and a look into the life of hip-hop legend Nas. Get there by 7 p.m.

July 19: Time is Illmatic; music by Pete Rock

Transmitter Park (2 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn)
Films on the Green wraps up the last two weeks of July at 8:30 pm in Transmitter Park.

July 24: La Derive 
July 31: La Colectionneuse

Carl Schurz Park (1483 York Avenue) 
Carl Schurz Park will be screening two movies this summer in the basketball court at 8:30 p.m. There will aptly be free snow cones at Frozen and popcorn at both movies while supplies last.

July 28: Frozen
August 11: Adam's Rib

Rumsey Playfield (Central Park SummerStage)
There's no doubt many of your favorite artists can credit their early success to Stretch and Bobbito, whose radio show helped introduce Jay-Z, Biggie, Nas, Fat Joe, the Fugees and so many more to the world. Their 25th anniversary celebration will kick off at 5 p.m., with DJ sets and a screening of their documentary.

August 16: Stretch and Bobbito; Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito 25th Anniversary Concert

This list will be updated until every last free outdoor movie on earth is obsessively compiled and sorted. And if you'd prefer to watch your free movies drink-in-hand, Canal Bar and Café Habana have you covered. It's also worth noting that Rooftop Films has an amazing list this year, but only a select few screenings are free. Tickets are 15 dollars, and can be bought on their website.

With Joanna Purpich

Carmen Farina on Charters and the Future

NYC Chancellor Carmen Farina

From Betsy Combier:

It's about Carmen. It's always about Carmen.

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña takes questions from parents, educators at packed Bronx forum

BY LAURA BULT , DENIS SLATTERY 

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Friday, May 29, 2015, 1:02 AM

LINK
From a mother's worries over failing schools to a teacher’s push for mental health services, the city schools boss opened her inbox to more than 500 concerned parents and educators at a packed town hall forum Thursday in the Bronx.

They traveled from as near as Mott Hall Science and Technology in the South Bronx and from as far away as Bushwick, Brooklyn, to drill Chancellor Carmen Fariña on hot-topic issues like the expansion of the city’s gifted and talented programs, teacher evaluations and school performance.

“What are you doing about professional development and abandoning programs that do not work?” Brooklyn teacher Darnese Olivieri demanded to raucous, standing-room-only cheers from fellow teachers in the audience during the “Fight for Their Future” forum co-hosted by the Daily News and the community group Metro IAF.

Q&A with Carmen Fariña from the town hall forum on city schools

Fariña, grappling with a school system that has been struggling for decades, promised to visit an Eva Moscowitz-run Success Academy charter school, gave no opinion on tax credits for kids who leave public schools for private institutions, supported spreading PTA-raised funds from school to school, and said teacher evaluations should be based on a combination of student test scores and peer review.

“I do think the best way to get better is peer review, teacher to teacher, principal to principal,” Fariña said.

The chancellor fielded tough questions from parents, teachers and education advocates about the difficulties of accessing good schools, why bad schoolscontinue to fail, and why some city classrooms are out of control — and she offered to keep listening to parents and teachers.

“I read the Daily News, and in the last forum I was faulted because I didn’t leave my email behind,” she said before producing a large sign with her email address.

“I do believe we need to use test scores for a portion of the evaluations,” Fariña said. “The percentage we use is up for debate. In my opinion, 30% is acceptable.”

Teacher Leton Hall used the open dialogue to ask about mental health services at struggling schools.

“As a teacher, everybody has to pick up the slack for some of these students in troubled situations,” said Hall, 34, a science teacher at the Mott Hall Science and Technology Academy.

Fariña, who touted the addition of 250 counselors earlier this week, agreed that more help is needed.

“All our community schools or after-school programs have to have mentalhealth clinics in their schools, no excuses. We’re looking to see how to use co-location sites so schools can share resources,” she said referring to separate schools housed within one building.

She said her plan was to boost the number of social workers and counselors at schools across the city.

Jessica Franco Ramos, of Brooklyn, brought the charter versus public school debate to the forefront by comparing the level of services available to her daughter, a charter school student, and her brother in public school.

“My daughter is currently a sixth-grader and, day by day, I see how she’s excelling thanks to the support of her teachers,” Ramos said. But her brother, for whom she’s the primary caregiver, struggles to find support and resources at a public school. “When I reached out to his guidance counselor she told me that she had 400 students to work with in addition to him,” she said.

Fariña was clear that she believes improving public schools was the answer, not adding more charters.

“I want to be very clear that there are great charter schools and great public schools,” Fariña responded. The forum followed The News’ hard-hitting “Fight for Their Future” series that focused on issues in public schools across the city.

“The Daily News takes very seriously the coverage of education because we know how important it is to our readers and to the city,” said Daily News Editorial Page Editor Arthur Browne.

The event, moderated by Errol Louis with co-moderator Ben Chapman of The News, was held at the Immaculate Conception School in the heart of the struggling South Bronx School District 7.

The long-foundering education district has the lowest ratio of elementary and middle schoolers proficient in reading, just 10%, and the lowest number of kids proficient in math, only 13%.

Forum participant Tracy Woodall, 44, pulled her kids from District 7 schools after finding the quality of education inconsistent.

“It’s a disconnect, no meetings, no nothing,” Woodall said. “It’s like you’re going from one grade to the next and it’s like going to another school.”

Woodall sends her kids to KIPP Academy charter school in Melrose, a 40-minute trip each way.

“I feel bad being a parent from the Bronx, we shouldn’t have to travel outside our district to find quality education.”

 

Carmen Farina and her PS 6 School Leadership Team Bylaws, 1999

Carmen Farina is currently the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. She was brought back to work after being told to "retire" (thus look good) or "be fired" (and look bad).

She was heavily involved in so many improper actions that Joel Klein, Chancellor, had to get her out of the DOE in 2006:

"From the desk of Betsy Combier, former Executive Board member of the PS 6 PTA, who worked closely with Deputy Chancellor Carmen Farina for 2 years until May 23, 2000. That afternoon, after finding out that PS 198 did not receive equal part of the $225,000 Annenberg Challenge for the Arts Grant money in partnership with PS 6, (at an Annenberg Conference Ms. Farina sent me to at Riverside Church), I asked "where is the money?", a question that spurred a telephone call from Ms. Farina to my home during which she accused me of hiring/firing all the arts teachers at PS 6, taking the money (I never touched any money, never saw checks, never knew anything about the finances of the school), and speaking for PS 6, my worst crime.

Carmen Farina's appointment as Deputy Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education is as clear a message as the the New York City public has received to date that our Mayor simply is not listening to anyone outside of his immediate inner circle.

For the past three years The E-Accountability Foundation has interviewed parents and teachers at PS 6, in District 15 (Brooklyn), and from region 8, where Mrs. Farina was Regional Superintendent before being appointed Acting Deputy Chancellor of the NYC DOE in February, 2004, and then made Deputy Chancellor in May. Her disdain for parents - aside from those who she brings into her closed circle of friends - is legendary, and her School Leadership Team Bylaws at PS 6 violate almost every clause in the "Green Book" on SLT Regulations. She was reprimanded by the Director of the Parent Advocacy and Engagement Office, Jamal Young, in a May 2001 letter to me, sent to Carmen, Superintendent Shelley Harwayne, and several other people. Nothing was done about the Bylaws or the SLT at PS 6, but Jamal's aunt Birdie Blake-Reid was found guilty of improper payments of public funds to employees, and fined by the Conflict of Interest Board soon after.

Mrs. Farina is a Master at threatening retaliation for any deed that she does not support, and she follows up her threats quickly and forcibly. "

Let's take a good look at the PS 6 School Leadership Team Bylaws, below - especially clause 6.2 about "open meetings laws".

Carmen Farina, in my opinion, is petrified of open meetings laws. Too many ears to plug scare her.

 

 

Carmen wrote these Bylaws, and at PS 6 this was the road travelled. It was her way, or the highway.

Betsy Combier

Assemblyman David Buchwald and the Push For Government Transparency in New York

 The Records Access Office at the NYC DOE has been out of work for years.              
Gotta stop.Gotta. Betsy Combier

Editorial: Public shouldn't have to wait this long for documents

Poughkeepsie Journal Editorial Board6:27 p.m. EDT May 26, 2015

LINK

Think about this for a moment: In New York, a government agency could lose a Freedom of Information Law case — be ordered by the court to hand over documents — but still take up to nine months to decide whether it will appeal and, thus, hold back complying with the ruling.

That's insane.

The public has the right to see and obtain most government records, and needless delays deny that right. Journalists in particular make good use of the Freedom of Information Law, and they need more timely rulings by the courts.

When cases drag out for months (if not years) the information sometimes becomes moot even if the request is ultimately approved. What's more, a speedier resolution tends to reduce court costs.

That's why some good-government groups and the New York News Publishers Association are pushing for right-minded changes, such as considerably shortening the time frame from a judicial ruling to when an agency must decide whether to appeal.

Assemblyman David Buchwald

A bill sponsored by Assemblyman David Buchwald, D-Westchester, has passed the Assembly and would reduce the time from nine to two months. Sen. Michael Ranzenhoffer, R-Amherst, has offered the same legislation in the Senate, but it has not passed yet, and lawmakers only have a few weeks until the end of the legislative session.

The Journal urges the state senators from this area — George Amedore, R-Rotterdam, Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mt. Hope, Sen. Terrence Murphy, R-Yorktown, William Larkin, R-Newburgh and Sue Serino, R-Hyde Park — to not only back this bill but to publicly and urgently support its passage.

The state's Freedom of Information Law is one of the most vital tools for the public to keep tabs on the workings of government. The statute clearly puts the burden on government agencies to explain why a document shouldn't be disclosed; the burden is not supposed to be on the public to make the case why a document should be made available. And timely disclosure also is key, whether the public wants information on health-related records or access to papers connected to a development that is close to government permit approval.

The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, Inc., The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, The League of Women Voters of New York State and the state Committee on Open Government are among those advocating improving public access to documents by speeding up the final determination on FOIL requests.

The Senate should join the Assembly in approving this legislation — and then Gov. Andrew Cuomo should sign the legislation into law at once.

 

Assemblyman Buchwald Passes Bill to Increase Transparency in Government

Good Government Legislation Approved in Assembly as Part of Annual “Sunshine Week”

March 19, 2015

LINK

 

Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-Westchester) announced that the State Assembly has unanimously passed his legislation (bill number A.114) to increase openness and efficiency in government by speeding up the appeals process for Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) cases. The bill requires all state agencies who wish to file an appeal in a lawsuit challenging FOIL compliance to do so within thirty days after a court judgment and to finalize the appeal paperwork by no more than a grand total of ninety days.

“An honorable government is open to the people it serves – where citizens can freely access the information they seek to better understand how policies are set and their tax dollars are being spent,” Assemblyman Buchwald stated. “This bill aims to make the FOIL process speedier so that government is more accountable to our families. I am pleased that the State Assembly has once again passed this important piece of legislation.”

The bill creates an expedited process for determining appeals of FOIL decisions. Under the present law, a government agency’s denial of request for records may be overturned by a court, but the government agency can file a notice of appeal and has up to nine months to perfect the appeal. This further delay, in many circumstances, is unfair and restricts an individual’s rights. The delaying of disclosure, through the appeals process, may make moot the individual’s FOIL request and functionally deny them the timely access to get the documents they need. In addition, a speedier resolution reduces court costs borne by all parties, including the taxpayers of New York.

“A painful issue involves the reality that access delayed is access denied,” said Robert J. Freeman, Executive Director of the Committee on Open Government for the Department of State. “This legislation would preclude government agencies from delaying disclosure unnecessarily and requiring them to make decisions quickly regarding appeals when the Supreme Court has determined that they must disclose their records.”

Assemblyman Buchwald’s bill was passed by a vote of 147-0 in conjunction with Sunshine Week, a national bipartisan effort highlighting the importance of open government, which is celebrated around President James Madison’s birthday. This year it runs from March 15 through 21. “It’s our obligation as representatives to guarantee that all New Yorkers have access to government decision-making processes so that they can be active participants,” Assemblyman Buchwald affirmed.

This measure was one of the first bills Assemblyman Buchwald passed as a newly elected official in 2013. This year, he’s continuing his long standing pledge to advocate for an open government and urges the State Senate to follow suit and help enact these measures into law. The bill has bipartisan support in both houses, with Senator Michael Ranzenhofer (R-Amherst) and Westchester’s own Senator George Latimer (D-Rye) having sponsored the bill in the State Senate. The Senate’s identical version of the bill (S.1531) has yet to pass this year.

Chicago Teacher's Union Wins Class Action Status in Their Lawsuit Against Racism By the Chicago Board of Education

#BlackTeachersMatter. The suit against CPS and the larger national context.

MAY 25, 2015

LINK

Yesterday I posted on U.S. Judge Milton Shadur’s ruling that African American teachers who were laid off by the Chicago Public School constituted a class.

In other words, African American teachers were targeted.

The law suit will now proceed to trial and possible damages.

Today’s NY Times reports that public sector jobs have vanished.

And who have been the victims?

Because blacks hold a disproportionate share of the jobs, relative to their share of the population, the cutbacks naturally hit them harder.

But black workers overall, women in particular, also lost their jobs at a higher rate than whites, Ms. Laird found. There was a “double disadvantage for black public sector workers,” she said. “They are concentrated in a shrinking sector of the economy, and they are substantially more likely than other public sector workers to be without work.”

From National Public Voice and Fred Klonsky:

Judge Milton Shadur Gives The Chicago Teachers Union and Three Teachers Certification as a Class Action Against Racism by The Chicago Board of Education

LINK to National Public Voice

Judge Milton Shadur

#BlackTeachersMatter. U.S. Judge Milton Shadur calls CPS response to teachers discrimination lawsuit, “totally irresponsible.”

In 2011 the Chicago school board carried out large-scale layoffs of teachers and paraprofessionals.

African American board employees bore the brunt of the layoffs just as the board’s closing of neighborhood public schools two years ago mainly impacted African American communities.

As a result of the layoffs in 2011 the Chicago Teachers Union and three impacted teachers filed suit.

CTU President Karen Lewis speaking at Daley Plaza during the protest of 
Chicago school closings, 2013

As I understand it, a law suit like this has three components.  First, the plaintiffs must show that they represent a class of people by a preponderance of the evidence. They were not just individual victims. It was not a coincidence that they were mostly African American. The judge is asked to certify that it is a class action before the case can move on to trial and a ruling of damages.

On Friday, Senior U.S. Judge Milton Shadur ruled in favor of the CTU and the three teachers.

However Judge Shadur didn’t just rule in the plaintiff’s favor.

The Judge was scathing in his rebuke of the CPS board.

“What does Board say on the critical issue of disparate impact in this critical case? Here are Amended Complaint 7 and 8 and Board’s “responses”:

7. In June, 2011, the Board terminated theemployment of 931 classroom teachers through a round of layoffs. 480 of these teachers were tenured. African Americans made up 42% of the tenure teachers terminated, although constituting less than 29% of all CPS tenured teachers.

ANSWER: The Board denies the allegations of paragraph 7.

8. Defendant’s pattern and practice of targeting schools with high African American teaching populations for layoffs has a disparate impact on African American tenured teachers and staff.

ANSWER: The Board denies the allegations of paragraph 8 and further states that the Board does not “target” schools, or any demographic of teachers or staff, for layoffs under any circumstance.

And that’s it — the sum total of Board’s purported input on the subject of disparate impact, which is of course the essential linchpin for class certificationpurposes. Board has said not a word, then or since then, about the claimed basis for its unsupported ipse dixit “denial.”

In candor, that is totally irresponsible. This action has been pending for just short of 2-1/2 years: Plaintiffs filed their initial Complaint on December 26, 2012, and Board has known from day one about plaintiffs’ disparate impact contention and about the asserted numbers upon which those contentions rely.”

Judge Shadur’s ruling and order then proceeded through each requirement for certification as a class and sided with the teachers on each one.

He concluded:

Board’s only challenge to certification under Rule 23(b)(3) is its broken-record-type reassertion that individual principals fired plaintiffs, so that common questions do not predominate on that skewed premise. And that means Board has simply failed to raise any substantial challenge at all to plaintiffs’ arguments.

The case now will proceed to trial and damages.

2015.5.22 Memo Order Granting Class Cert