SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

A process server representing the owners of a proposed bar and restaurant in Gravesend that was denied a liquor license interrupted Community Board 15′s September meeting last night, serving papers for a $180 million lawsuit that claims the Board conspired to defame the owners, and discriminated against them based on their Russian roots.

Pleasure Island, also known as Galaxy, located at 816 Avenue U, was denied a liquor license by the State Liquor Authority in 2011 – and again by the Community Board earlier this year – after locals learned of plans to reactivate a bar that some said was a hotbed for underage drinking and rowdiness. The lawsuit claims, though, that those neighbors were misled by numerous community leaders in a smear campaign orchestrated by Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo, possibly for discriminatory reasons.

“She’s saying these people aren’t Jewish enough,” Susan Bernstein, the plaintiffs’ attorney, told Sheepshead Bites. “She wants what she wants in that neighborhood. A Community Board isn’t a despotic agency that can decide what business can open and close. They spread intentional lies about the two individuals involved.”

Keep reading, and view the lawsuit documents.

A Toyota Camry slammed into the glass storefront of Wine Village liquor store at 3827 Nostrand Avenue Sunday afternoon, leaving shattered glass and debris scattered around the strip mall.

The driver was taken to the hospital but is expected to make a full recovery. The incident happened around 5:00 p.m., and the car was towed away about an hour later.

The incident mirrors a September 2010 accident, in which a car rolled through the storefront of Party City in the same shopping strip. And, in December 2011, directly across the street from Wine Village, a car struck the storefront of Nostrand Ice Cream Shop  (3824 Nostrand Avenue).

Thanks to Max Tasimowicz for the tip and photos.

Update (11:01 a.m.): This photo just came in from @Elankul:

Shopping carts photographed early New Year's Day. (Photo courtesy of a reader)

We would have had our picture posted since last week, but we were recovering from a serious hangover that lasted a couple of days.  Believe me, I would take a serious hangover like that one any day over having to spend a night in the slammer – which is where I and Party City, over here, were almost headed.

You see, we figured we would roll out the old year and ring in the new one by doing what everyone else in the neighborhood is, apparently, doing – drink it up — when some rookie cop started walking toward us at the corner of Avenue Y and East 27 Street. Just before he made eye contact, I threw my drink cup on the ground (if you look closely, you can see the cup in the picture).  He started questioning us, “Don’t you guys know it’s illegal to drink alcohol on a public street?, How old are you kids, anyway?, Where’s your ID?, Don’t you guys have a bed you can find yourself in, tonight?”

We were already drunk, but we managed to come up with some answers real quick: “See a drink in my hand, officer? We’re older than you think.  Don’t let our good wheels fool ya. Check our ID right there on the handle. That cart over there is Party City. He lost his voice when a car hit him, a couple months ago. Sure, officer, we’ll get right home, just this minute.”

Man, was I scared, ‘cuz Party City is a minor. I just wanted him to keep quiet, so I lied to keep him from having to talk. We tried to roll off into the night as the flat foot walked away, but, to tell the truth, our wheels were like liquid and we both just crashed right into the pole and the postal box.

Man, that was a rough New Year’s Eve and a tough couple days after, but would we do it again? Apparently, research shows that terrible hangovers don’t limit future liquor consumption. So, yes, I guess, you’ll see us drunk as a skunk around the streets of Sheepshead Bay, sometime in the near future.

Happy Belated New Year’s, everyone!