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February 25, 2015- These guys remind us of BatteryPark.TV in many way. The Post reports on the Lower East Side dwellers effectiveness at reforming the CB3 and stopping liquor licenses. The article states, “Boyd is the founder of the most feared community group in the city, the LES Dwellers.
They’ve made it their mission to stop the spread of bars, clubs and hotels — and the ensuing crowds — that they say are turning their neighborhood into a bridge-and-tunnel version of Bourbon Street. (The group has embraced the nickname “Hell Square” for the nine-block area which is ground zero for its actions.)
She formed a coalition of 25 residents who attend community board meetings to oppose new liquor licenses, pester the New York State Liquor Authority about enforcement, and meet with the local police precinct about neighborhood safety.
They won their very first battle: In 2013, the State Liquor Authority denied a license to 106 Rivington, which remains empty.
More recently, the group was instrumental in shutting down the Derby — a bar and restaurant at Orchard and Stanton under the same ownership as nearby bars Spitzer’s Corner and Fat Baby — which closed in early January.
They’re Internet-savvy, too. The group maintains a website and social media accounts documenting bar infractions, including a video of two girls brawling outside Arlene’s Grocery and another showing Boyd confronting a guy urinating in a store’s entryway.
The group is relentless in its efforts, contacting would-be bar owners in the neighborhood to demand they withdraw applications from the community board — tactics so combative, the board banned them for three months in 2013, saying the aggressive actions violated its code of conduct for block associations. (The board wouldn’t comment on its actions, referring all questions to the published minutes of its meetings.)”
Diem and the LES Dwellers are not afraid to take on the lushy lager louts, the greedy bar owners who cater to these drunks, and the corrupt administration currently running CB3.
When it comes to these peerless community activists, take heed: Never ignore them, simply adore them.