New York City’s Catbird stores are celebrating Valentine’s Day early with special events at all three of their locations.
From 1 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 8, Catbird will host special popups at each of their stores. Catbird’s Williamsburg location (108 N. 7th St., Brooklyn) will be featuring in-store engravings and an artist creating portraits with people and pets you love.
At the Soho store (253 Centre St.), Catbird visitors can receive flash tattoos that are specially themed for Valentine’s Day. Catbird’s Rockefeller Center store (15 W. 49th St.) will give those who wear their hearts on their sleeves a place to pour out their feelings at a love letter station.
Plus, at all three locations, customers will have a chance to win a $250 Catbird gift card out of their Swan Prize Jar.
It’s free to join the fun, but you can RSVP here to reserve your spot at your preferred location.
This story first appeared on our sister publication amny.com.
Over 30 community members rallied on Wednesday outside three Sunset Park buildings owned by Shea Sigal, an alleged slumlord, to advocate for tenants’ rights and address the plight of residents who say they are living in unbearable conditions.
Organized by the 23rd Street Tenants Association, with support from TakeRoot Justice and other local advocacy groups, the rally highlighted what tenants describe as unlivable conditions. They pointed to 318 violations issued by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development as evidence of neglect.
With winter temperatures dropping as low as 18 degrees this season, residents reported going for extended periods without heat, raising serious concerns about their health and safety.
“This winter was very difficult for all of us, for me and my children,” Susana Arias, a tenant leader, said at the rally. “In my case, my youngest son and I got pneumonia. Since the beginning of winter, we have been without heat. What we are asking for are our rights. And we are not alone. We have rights, and we don’t have to be afraid.”
Tenants took to the stoops to call out their alleged slumlord.Photo by Nova Rivera.
Many tenants have been in a battle with the landlord for years.
For instance, 10 residents, who formed a group, have been on a rent strike since April 2024, aiming to pressure their landlord into addressing their concerns.
Their grievances prompted the initiation of a Housing Preservation proceeding against Sigal earlier this year due to his alleged failure to address necessary repairs, leaving many families to live in substandard conditions. Despite a judge’s ruling in December 2023 ordering repairs to be made, tenants claim that their landlord has failed to take any corrective action, forcing them to continue living in hazardous environments.
Community Organizer Jorge Paz Reyes voiced the collective frustration felt by residents at the rally and emphasized that the situation demands immediate attention.
“In this building, there are babies, elderly people, young people who have a right to a home with heat and proper repairs,” he said. “This is an abuse of human rights and of the immigrant community. We demand that the owner of these three buildings respect the rights of these tenants and that he make the necessary repairs.”
Sigal could not be reached for comment.
Aura Mejia, tenant organizing and advocacy manager at Neighbors Helping Neighbors, called for stronger action from local authorities, highlighting the need for systemic reform.
“We need justice, and we need these owners to be punished more severely,” Mejia said. “Sunset Park is not for sale. We are asking HPD to be tougher with these landlords and to better support tenants.”
Sigal faces mounting scrutiny for a pattern of negligence and for the debt to the city he has racked up, owing tens of thousands of dollars in property taxes on each of his buildings. He owns at least three properties at 225, 227, and 229 23rd Street in Sunset Park.
These buildings have become a focal point of growing tenant unrest over deteriorating living conditions. According to Who Owns What, a nonprofit that tracks landlords and their properties, Sigal is linked to at least 20 other buildings, many of which have accumulated numerous HPD complaints and violations.
Housing Attorney Alex Matak, representing the tenants through TakeRoot Justice, condemned Sigal’s alleged misconduct and stressed the urgency of the matter.
“Shea Sigal has claimed that it’s the tenants’ own fault for the conditions of these buildings,” Matak said, pointing out that the landlord was recently featured on the worst landlords list in New York City.
With the help of Matak, tenants filed three motions for civil and criminal contempt against Sigal, the owner of the three buildings.
Tenants, advocates, and community members insist that no family should endure the indignity of unsafe housing.
“This is a slumlord, and he does not care about these tenants,” Matak said. “These tenants are not going to stop fighting until they have the dignified conditions that they deserve.”
This story first appeared on our sister publication amny.com.
Temporary deal prevents naming FBI agents until late March
FBI Agents Association supports privacy protection for agents
WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration agreed on Friday not to publicly name FBI employees involved in investigations into the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, striking a temporary deal with agents who sued over privacy and safety concerns.
The agreement, which a federal judge approved, prevents the administration from releasing the names until at least late March while lawsuits from two groups of FBI agents move forward.
If the administration decides at some point to disclose the names, it will be required to give the plaintiffs two days’ notice, the agreement says.
“This is an important step in the right direction to protect those who protect us – FBI Agents who have dedicated their careers to upholding the rule of law and defending our country,” said Natalie Bara, president of the FBI Agents Association, in a statement.
The deal was struck after acting head of the FBI, Brian Driscoll, turned over to the Justice Department a list of FBI employees involved in January 6 investigations, according to an email seen by Reuters.
Emil Bove, a former defense lawyer for Trump who now holds a senior role at the Justice Department, had demanded the information from the FBI as part of what he described as an internal review of misconduct related to the Capitol riot probe, which led to nearly 1,600 criminal cases against Trump supporters.
The demand prompted days of internal resistance from Driscoll and the bureau and prompted two lawsuits from groups of anonymous FBI agents who said the move endangered their safety.
The dispute over the list has become a flashpoint as the FBI seeks to safeguard its independence during a push by the Trump administration to remove or sideline officials who have worked on investigations condemned by Trump.
Driscoll’s resistance prompted Bove to accuse him of insubordination. A list the FBI turned over earlier this week identified agents only by their employee identification numbers, sources told Reuters.
The Justice Department also requested a list of agents involved in a U.S. criminal case against leaders of the Hamas militant group.
Driscoll told FBI employees that the latest list, which includes agents’ names, was turned over using a classified system and identified as “law enforcement sensitive” to protect employees’ safety, according to the email.
The Justice Department, responding to the agents’ lawsuits, has said it has no immediate plans to publicly name the employees included on the list. Bove has said agents who only followed orders on investigations would not be disciplined.
The department and lawyers for the FBI agents unsuccessfully sought to reach a temporary deal on Thursday, but hit a snag over whether the agreement would also bind the effort by the White House and billionaire Elon Musk to overhaul the federal government.
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Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Andy Sullivan and Rod Nickel
SummaryTemporary deal prevents naming FBI agents until late MarchFBI Agents Association supports privacy protection for agentsWASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration agreed on Friday not to publicly name FBI employees involved in investigations into the January 6, 2021
