Monday, July 15, 2019

NYC Green Market

Barbara and I were active members in, and officers of, The West Village Committee concerned with resisting large corporate and government power brokers.  One of our major battles in the 70s was the fight against Westway.   By the mid 1970's, the West Village Committee, in an effort to support residents on the bank of the Hudson sponsored the Gaansevort Street Market.

Bill Bowser was president of the Committee and Barry Benipe was the director of the organization seting up green markets throughout the city.

In the early eighties Barbara became the manager of the green market.  Every Friday night, before the Saturday market we'd open the fire hydrants to clear the blood from the meat market off Gansvoort Street.  We would erect police barriers, to keep out cars.  Once a heavy blue barrier fell on Barbara's foot; and she's lived with the physical damage for decades. 

I worked with John Gozinsky an organic farmer.  Anton Wagonhoffer sold flowers.  McGowan was the meat farmer I studied under his father who taught classics at Syracuse University.