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••• Corby sent this in about the cat that was stuck outside Ward III yesterday. I’m not sure we need to boycott Ward III, but I certainly agree that animals deserve better treatment than this. (Photo by Y.)
There was a back and white cat that the owner of Ward III decided to dump outside this morning by pinning it between the iron fencing and window in front of Ward III. My neighbor asked why and the man said he just found it in the basement. None of this makes sense. Concerned citizens pulled the cat out from where it was stuck.
The purpose of this email is twofold—first, if someone lost this cat, it is currently being held at Animal Haven in Soho. The cat is a male black and white cat (more white than black). The second is that there were a number of concerned people walking by—the cat was pinned between the front window of Ward III and the metal at the bottom of window—and was right there next to the sidewalk on Reade. I want them to know the cat is safe and to take action by never going to Ward III. This cat was friendly and could easily have been transported to a shelter. Instead, some jerk decided to put it in a spot where it was stuck and could not free itself and acted like he cared by leaving food and water that the cat could not move to reach. We really need to do better—in the way we treat each other and in the way we treat animals.
Finally, for all those concerned, please consider donating to Animal Haven or ASPCA. Or adopt a new furry friend!
UPDATE 3/13: Here’s a response from Ryan P. Burke, president of the Rum House Collective, which Ward III is part of:
Thanks for reaching out to us for our comments! I wish you had reached out before posting the story as many of the details are incredibly inaccurate and a pretty strong example of hyperbole as to what happened. Frankly, the email from your reader is a gross misrepresentation of a cat running into a bar.
According to our staff, the cat ran into the bar when the door was opened and into our basement. As I’m sure most of your readers are aware, the NYC Health Department prohibits live animals in eating and drinking establishments. Accordingly, our staff put the cat outside and it proceeded to try to run into Serafina, then it ran back in front of our establishment and ran between the window and grate of the building. Any suggestion that our staff pinned a cat in front of the building is ridiculous and defies logic.
Additionally – Our staff was discussing the situation with a neighbor about what to do with the cat. Someone brought it a can of food and our staff set out water for it. Another neighbor said they would take it to a shelter. Our bartender went back to work and thought nothing more of it.
In the future, feel free to reach out directly. We’ve always been supportive of our neighbors as well as your publication. We consider ourselves a good steward of the neighborhood and will continue to do so.
••• The notice for the liquor-license hearing for 112 Hudson says the requested closing hour is 1 a.m., and that’s all we know at this point. Community Board 1 has decided not to release information ahead of the meeting, which I think is a shame, because it would clearly benefit the community to know whether they should bother attending the three-to-four-hour meeting on Wednesday. If anyone has intel about the plans for the space, please share it (anonymity guaranteed) by texting 917-209-6473 or emailing tribecacitizen@gmail.com. (FYI, the space is around 1,200 square feet on the ground floor and 800 square feet below, which would make a bar seem more likely than a restaurant.) UPDATE: I hear from a reader that it’s going to be a sushi restaurant. Anyone know more?
••• The TV show “Bull” is back on Tuesday for a big shoot in the Franklin/Church/W. Broadway area.
••• B Dry Salon is offering more than blowouts. Oy, that sign….
••• Another multi-vendor market is opening on Broadway in Soho; this one is in the former American Apparel space at the southwest corner of Howard.
••• If you’ve ever wished your home looked like the Patriot, you had your chance yesterday.
13 Comments
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I think Broadway Market Co. was the flea market at 483 Broadway, the old Yellow Rat Bastard space in SoHo. It was a pretty good flea market. They had to move out for TJ Maxx.
The owner of Ward 3 is a colossal a-hole. Couldn’t take a couple of minutes and call a local animal rescue? Ward 3 is dead to me and all of my 2-3 friends. #BadLuck #BoycattWard3
Jim Smithers, I’m with you.
I’ve lived in Tribeca for 22 years and have a few friends myself, all of which I will tell.
To hear he did this makes me sick, what a disgusting thing to do.
#BoycottWard3
Jean, it’s #BoyCATtWard3. Please, the details matter if we’re going to be successful in our civil resistance. Can we pin the owner between the iron fencing and see how long it takes him to get out? #Selfies! Or bang his head, hypothetically, against the bar top like we’re making some speciality, overpriced, overthought drink? #HappyHour!
Disgusting if this is true.
Erik – can you please contact Ward III for an official response. I am all for a boycott if this is the case, but want to make sure one of the “owners” did this. (I thought there were three.) Could also very well have been a sadistic employee who needs to be held accountable. It is possible this was done without the owners’ knowledge and they should have the chance to address this.
If it was an owner, we should make sure this is all over social media.
I sent your article to Animal Petitions, a S.F. based group that pushes for punishment of people who harm animals. This needs to be dealt with by the First Precinct.
Well, let’s just say that I disagree with the “statement” from Ward III. Bottom line – the cat was pinned for a significant amount of time, Ward III was aware of it and did nothing (see comment above that “bartender went back to work and thought nothing more of it.”). As for reaching out, my neighbor did and was met with indifference from Ward III. I am the one that freed the cat and my neighbor took it to the shelter. As for Ryan P. Burke, I am sure he was not there — I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this — or maybe we can agree that it is ridiculous to leave a live animal stuck in front of your bar.
Thank you Corbi for helping this poor little guy and taking him to a no kill shelter. Something any of the restaurant employees could have easily done but did not. Surprising their indifference did not lead to the cat being hit by a car. I will never go to this restaurant.
Respectfully disagree. It’s true that taking the cat to a shelter was the right thing to do. But working people with jobs are obligated to do them. A worker may have the freedom and leisure to deal with getting a cat to a shelter during their shift, but most likely not, and it would be rare for a business owner to be sympathetic to closing down their operation for it. Working people do not often have time in their day to do good deeds for stray animals, though they may wish to.
“Any suggestion that our staff pinned a cat in front of the building is ridiculous and defies logic.”
Not that I have any reason to defend this business owner, nor would I condone mistreatment of animals (all of my 2-3 friends are cats) (#meowtoo), but the suggestion that this cat was imprisoned also struck me as strange. Unless that grate is movable, I don’t see how the cat could have been placed there in such a way that it could not remove itself. Perhaps I’m missing something.
Love Ward III – glad they are back.
Cannot imagine any of the three owners of Ward III doing this. Very happy to see them open for business.
I had a boyfriend years ago who had a cat who used to pin himself up like that all the time. He loved to crawl up behind the folding thingie in front of the window with access to our fire escape. Anyway, the long and short of it is – didn’t this cat probably “tree” (i.e., pin) itself? I totally agree it needed to be brought to a shelter or whatever animal authorities handle this sort of thing, but I don’t believe any one stuck the cat in there – that cat was perfectly capable of sticking itself into a tight place for no apparent reason. Cats are just weird that way.