Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Goldman Sachs, Cookie Monster | A protest took place outside the offices of Goldman Sachs today! The crowd gathered in front of 85 Broad Street must have been outraged about the role Goldman played in the subprime mortgage crisis, right? Or how the bank managed to generate massive profits from the economic downturn while also convince Washington to bail out the banking industry? Or the way in which the bank has systematically used its ties to top officials in Washington to its advantage? Not so much! The signs, according to Dealbreaker, read "Stop the injustice at Stella D'Oro." It seems the people gathered outside think Goldman can prevent the cookie factory in the Bronx from closing down because it owns a piece of the company that owns Stella D'Oro. Oh, well. Guess you'll have to protest all the other stuff another day! [Dealbreaker]

The ladies of Code Pink—you remember them, don't you?—protested outside the offices of AIG today. The turnout wasn't anything to brag out, as you can see above. But Reverend Billy did show up with a bullhorn, so at least the day wasn't a total loss! We must admit, though, that we're a little bit concerned to see that the good reverend has been so busy protesting, he clearly hasn't even had time to change his clothes. After the jump, a couple of photos from Billy's "exorcism" of Bank of America ATM machine in Union Square yesterday. More

A protest outside the New School turned violent this morning when students seeking the ouster of the university's president, Bob Kerrey, clashed with cops. According to the NYPD, 19 people were arrested in the melee. The department's spokesman, Paul Browne, also said the operation "was done in a very organized, orderly fashion," and the arrests were made in an "orderly fashion," although this video taken by an activist seems to dispute that account. Consider your faith in NYPD flacks shattered! [NYT/City Room]

Code Pink Strikes Again | For the second time this week, Code Pink managed to crash a televised speech on the economy and unfurl one of their giant banners. This time the victim was Larry Summers, who was addressing the Economic Club in Washington when several people ran on the stage. ("He is a toxic mess!" one activist shouted.) And just how did these people slip past security and make it on to the stage in the first place? Well, there was no security on hand, apparently, although we're guessing that's going to change in the near future. [HuffPo, Fox Business]

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein addressed the Council of Institutional Investors this morning and addressed the issue of how banks pay their employees, suggesting that Wall Street "apply basic standards to how we compensate people in our industry." (It's unclear if these "standards" would apply to Blankfein personally, who earned nearly $70 million in 2007 and $43 million in 2008.) But you have to give him points for the warm welcome he gave the ladies from Code Pink, who rushed the stage during his speech with a giant sign that said "We want our $$$$$ back." More

A Game of Chicken in Brooklyn | You've heard about the fried chicken restaurants that have been renaming themselves in honor of Barack Obama, haven't you? At least three spots have adopted the president's name in recent months, and while it isn't illegal to do so per the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, some people are a little miffed about it. Like City Councilman Charles Barron. He's giving one restaurant until Monday to change its awning or else he'll organize a protest. The game of chicken begins, it seems. [AMNY, TSG]

Wall Street Demonstration Foiled by Weather | Remember that big protest that was scheduled for down by Wall Street today? It looks like the titans who control the economy also have connections with Mother Nature, since the heavy rain appears to have put a damper on things. Fortunately for activists, the weather report for tomorrow looks pretty good—bright skies, windy, 62 degrees—so they'll get another shot at it. [AP, previously]

If you've been seeing the protests in London on TV and you're kinda disappointed the streets of New York aren't quite as "electric," you'll be pleased to know that the city will have some outraged protesters of its own beginning tomorrow. More

NYU Students: We're Not Going Anywhere [WCBS]
Student protesters refuse to leave NYU cafeteria [NYDN]
Live on the Web, the N.Y.U. Occupation [NYT]

Land Grab on the West Side? | So you know how PETA is trying to get rid of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park and replace them with electric vehicles? It turns out that the initiative isn't just ridiculous, it's pretty fishy, too. Michael Gross points out today that the "prime mover behind the latest anti-horse gambit" is none other than parking garage tycoon Steve Nislick, the CEO of Edison Properties, who produced a brochure last year touting the Model T plan and projecting "a windfall for the carriage industry from the sale of its multi-million-dollar stables." Team up with PETA to get rid of the horses, force the stables to sell their property, and then convert the decrepit buildings into gleaming garages. This Nislick is clever! [Gripebox]

PETA Keeps It Classy | A bunch of nuts from PETA turned up outside Madison Square Garden yesterday dressed as KKK members. Why, exactly? Because the Westminster Dog Show is currently taking place there and the American Kennel Club "promotes pure breeding of dogs that is harmful to their health." So that's what it was about! Unfortunately, no one seems to have handed the demonstrators the solid beating they deserved: "The most common reaction was to pull out a cell phone and start snapping photos." [Gothamist via Jossip]

Animal rights activists have been trying to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park for several months now. (For some reason, they think the practice amounts to animal cruelty.) But now they've come up with an alternative: They're proposing that the city replace the horse-drawn buggies with replica of Model Ts. Tourists visiting from Iowa will still get to feel like they're stepping back in time, and because the vehicles will be powered by electricity, it'll be entirely eco-friendly, too! Aside from the grim aesthetic implications—"the sound of clopping hooves is one of the only aural pleasures available on the edge of the oasis that is Central Park," Michael Gross points out today—and the fact the proposal would put hundreds of carriage drivers out of work, PETA has managed to line up support from attention-loving City Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, who now says he plans to put the matter before the City Council this spring. More

Activists Converge on John Mack's House | You can bet John Mack didn't have a very peaceful weekend. The Morgan Stanley chief was one of two banking execs subjected to a protest yesterday when members of the non-profit Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America turned up in bright yellow t-shirts bearing signs that read "Fix Our Loans, Save Our Homes" and "Shame on You, CEO." (The protesters gathered outside Mack's home in Rye, left; the other target was Greenwich Financial Services CEO William Frey.) No word on Mack's reaction to the event, although we're going to go ahead and assume the protestors weren't invited inside for tea and cookies. [Greenwich Time]

You know what sucks? When you pay $18 million for a co-op apartment and only find out after you've moved in that there are protests outside the building every weekend because one of your neighbors happens to design fur coats. The Times reports that an animal rights group has been congregating outside the Beresford since October to protest fur-happy designer Dennis Basso. The noisy gatherings haven't been appreciated by the building's residents (who include the likes of Glenn Close, Jerry Seinfeld, and Bob Weinstein). As for the most recent Beresford arrival, Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, at least he can take some comfort in the fact it isn't outraged Citigroup shareholders or any of the 50,000 people who've been laid off by the bank in recent weeks who are responsible for ruining his Saturday and Sunday mornings. [NYT]

A Small Gathering for ASmallWorld | The party for ASmallWorld—the one that featured protests by a group opposed to Lev Leviev's business practices—didn't bring too many socialites out in the rain last night. "The likes of Annie Churchill, Dalia Oberlander, Jennifer Creel, and Gillian Hearst Simonds stayed away—until the private post-event dinner at Serafina, that is," reports Fashion Week Daily's Ashley Baker. Judging by photos Adalah-NY directed us to this morning, it seems the protesters had a bit of trouble generating a turnout, too. [The Daily]