Italians in Bushwick Still Making Headlines
photo by jenblossom from the BushwickBK flickr pool
Every Bushwicker knows that before the 80s, this place was full of Italians, plenty of whom stuck around long after the Germans packed up and fled to Long Island. The faded signs peeking out behind yellow plastic Ecuadorian restaurant awnings and even the extant Italian-owned businesses around the hood remind us that neighborhoods are ever-evolving. What hasn’t changed is Italians getting in trouble with the law.
Pietro Polizzi, who has run old-school Tony’s Pizzeria on Knickerbocker for 30 years, is in court after being arrested on charges of downloading child pornography. The Sicilian immigrant claims he was molested as a boy and was using the images to recall his own abuse. He faced a tough choice: be found guilty and go to jail for five years, or claim insanity and go to a mental institution for possibly even longer. He chose insanity. Doesn’t he have a bookie cousin who could explain his odds?
Just in case you’re not already sick of the stereotypes, Joshua Baldelli, 16, tossed a sack of concrete off a building at Stockholm and Irving, hitting a man in the arm. That’s right, one of probably 3 Italian kids who may have actually grown up in Bushwick and he’s involved with concrete.
October 2nd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Why do they have to be italian? Why can’t they be regular old everyday dirtbags and such.
If the person was a polish/irish mix, would it even be noticed?
i think not!
NOW GOOD DAY
I SAID GOOD DAY!
October 2nd, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I know, i am teh racizum!
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:16 pm
RACIALIST
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Is that that small building with the large arched windows that is right in the Myrtle-Broadway el station?
October 2nd, 2007 at 4:59 pm
This is information (about Tony’s owner) I really didn’t need to know…
what is this? a PTA website, or one of those alarmist “SEXUAL OFFENDERS ARE INVADING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!!” shrills?
October 2nd, 2007 at 5:03 pm
No, actually, I feel sorry for the guy, and I think child porn hysteria is out of control. He’s being prosecuted for Thought Crime — unless he raped a toddler (he didn’t), I’m rooting for him. I considered including this in the original post but it messed with the flow.
October 2nd, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Tony’s Pizza is the one on the corner of Kickerbocker and DeKalb? I’ve been eating there since before it was owned by Pietro Polizzi. I had a slice two years ago during a visit. Found the pizza to be bland. I think once you start traveling around the world you realize what you thought was great Brooklyn pizza is really just canned tomato sauce, generic cheese and doughy bread. best pizza I ever had to date was at a small restaurant in the central Japanese mountains of Gifu. Authentic wood oven and aged Japanese pine. Really good.
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:09 am
Yeah, Tony’s is not remarkable — I shuddered one time when I went and they pulled the Hormel pepperoni out of a bucket. We all eat at Fortunata’s now, near Hart on Knick — they use good ingredients (from what I can tell) and the crust is super crispy.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:47 am
It’s a bit out of the way, but La Bella Marbella on Fresh Pond Road in Maspeth has some very tasty pizza. They deliver!
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Ah, thanks for the clarification. The post struck me as unusual here.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Sorry y’all. Chicago has the best pizza, bar none!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Thanks for apologizing beforehand for your ignorance, punk!
October 4th, 2007 at 3:02 am
Have not eaten at Tonys in a long time so I cannot say anything about. Fortunatas has good food and it’s a good place for Bushwick. But as far as I am concerned the best Pizza is in Canarsie.
And the vast majority of the so called Italians were mutts of mixed German/Italian/Polish heritage who flaunted their Italianess because it has a nicer cachet to it, same as they do now in the suburbs.
October 4th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Exodus to Chicago.
October 4th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Armstrong, I am going to visit Chicago for about 5 days in the middle of this month. So, please tell me where to go to have the best Chicago pizza. While the tour guide suggests going to Pizzeria Due,Giordano’s, Gino’s or Pizzeria Uno, I suspect that there may be a really hidden treasure lurking out there in the hoods. So, if you know of one, please tell me.
In addition, I would love to know of an out of the way area that you think is worth visiting. Just think of a neighborhood that would appeal to someone who prefers visiting Bushwick to lounging in Shelter Island.
Thanks.
October 4th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
John, I am from the southside which was very Italian for much of the 20th century.
The places that I love, and they are quite a hike - south suburbs actually, are Sanfratellos http://www.sanfratellos.com and Aurelios http://www.aureliospizza.com
Aurelios actually has a location in the city. You can find it on their website.
Otherwise, I would suggest checking out the places you’ve been told about and the few which are well reviewed here:
http://www.epinions.com/rest-Restaurants-All-Chicago_Metro-Pizza
Chicago is a city well known for its neighborhoods. I love Lincoln Park, Lakeview, and Oldtown are beautiful although more “upscale.” Wicker Park, Uptown (very interesting mafia history) and Logan Square are neighborhoods which have a similar Williamsburg/Bushwick vibe.
Look some of those Chicago neighborhoods I mentioned up on wikipedia.org. That way you’ll be able to get a better grasp on which areas sound more interesting to you. I’d highly recommend taking one of the river tours downtown as Chicago is one of my favorite cities architecturally (even more so than NYC).
http://www.chicagoline.com/archcruise/schedule.asp
Do let me know how you liked Chicago!
October 5th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Make no Mistake…..
NY has the best Pizza; Philly has the best Cheesesteak; Chicago has the best wind, thats about it.
Grimaldi’s …che bouno!
October 5th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I ate my first pizza in Germany - that was the best!
October 5th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
NYC pizza and Chicago pizza = apples and oranges. I have enough love for both.
October 5th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
John! Go to Pequad Pizza!!!!!! It’s on that epinions list.
I cannot vet this currently, as I lived in Chicago ages ago. But that was by far my favorite style of deep dish Chi-town stylee. They did (and hopefully still do!) the burned cheese around the edges thang and it rooled.
Uno etc. is fine but gigunda gloppy. And touristy. Still fun, and perhaps more accessable depending on where you are staying but if you are adventuring, have a Pequad and tell me if it still rocks. Then go to Goose Island Brewery for some tasty brews. I think that was nearby.
One other thing I would highly recommend from a nostalgia angle: The Taco & Burrito house. The original is on B’way near Irving park, north of Wrigley. but if you google you will see a few additional listings. Seriously. Awesomeness in a shell. I think I had about 300 of the chicken fajita burritos in my lifetime there. I also highly recommend their tostadas. Massive and unweildy but they never broke! Plus they always had the pickled onion/carrot/jalepeno thing.
good lord if it weren’t for that taco joint on Starr, I’d still say chicago had better mexican food than nyc.
As far as different neighborhoods to visit, I’m sure everything has changed since I was there, but I lived in Wicker Park, the W’burg of it’s day. Well, I’m sure it’s also the W’burg of today.
Last I heard the ‘frontiers’ were Pilson, East Village, etc.
Hmmm. Now I feel silly writing all of this in a thread about a supposed child porn downloading pizzaria owner. Weird.
October 5th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Oh, and if you do not eat a few chigago style dawgs wit everything, especially dah sport pepperssss, you are missing out!
October 5th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
YES John, definitely get a “chicago style” hot dog, amazing!
October 16th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
All this love of chicago food, and places, so when are some making the exodus to Chicago.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:17 am
I’m a first generation Italian-American with Sicilian-born parents and I have an M.A. in Economics. How’s that for stereotypes. Don’t generalize about any ethic group. It can get you into trouble.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:24 am
God, people are completely humorless. How do you get through life like that?
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:26 am
It’s really sad, I’ve been to Tony’s pizzeria and knew Pietro, you would never think by looking at him that he had such a secret. He’s a sweet man with some issues he never quite resolved. I feel bad for the family
I love the pizza there though!!
October 23rd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
This article is very upsetting. I was just looking up my landlord’s address to send his wife my condolences because i heard he was in the hospital. And by the way I found the address to send the card to. I find this child porno thing hard to believe. Mr Polozzi is one of the best landlords i have ever had. And i tell you in the past 2 years since i have been his tenant- i can see he is a nice guy who has very bad luck. He keeps this place spotless and he got a ticket from the city about garbage the other day. Crazy. He keeps the heat nice and high, the place is clean, and he does repairs. How many landlords in nyc can anyone say that about? The guy is like gold and i resent slander by the press. I have spent time with the guy- he is sensitive and a really nice gentile person. How many men do you meet that are like that? And it sounds crazy but I believe his story completely. My partner was molested as a young boy and he didn’t realize this until he was almost 30 and it was VERY hard for him to deal with. Just think of all the macho pressures men are under- it is amazing that some men actually deal with their past- and are courageous enough to say it in public. If he is really going through all this personal drama- it is horrific that someone bring it up in the press. Don’t you think he has enough pain in his life? That he needs to be humiliated by 30 years of customers and the entire neighborhood knowing his personal business? I believe his story- or this whole thing is bullshit made up by jealous rival business people or some malicious reporter trying to make a name for himself/herself.
October 23rd, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Jean, I totally agree with you and from what I have heard, he sounds like a good guy. I’m still not even sure how they came to know what he had on his home computer. Child pornography and molestation is one of those things that our culture cannot think about rationally — every adult who so much as glimpses a photo of a naked child is a monster who should be put to death. What else explains Congressional talk a few years ago to ban ANIMATED child porn? It’s like they’re more offended by the images or the fact that people might be aroused by children than by the acts themselves — which I expect could be severely curtailed by the production of animated images.
I do feel sorry for the guy and I’m sorry I originally took this issue so lightly.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:32 am
There are two pizzerias on Knickerbocker both names Tony’s. I am almost 100% certain that the Tony’s on Knickerbocker and Dekalb is not the offender. It’s the Tony’s on Knickerbocker and Greene over near the Burger King under the “el”. Tony’s on Dekalb and Knickerbocker next to Scaturro’s supermarket (now closed)still makes a mean Sicilian slice. This paisan who has since long moved out of the neighborhood still goes there for a slice when I’m visiting friends and family. Fortunata’s is a fairly recent addition to the hood. Rosa’s Pizza is also excellent. There’s one I go to on Fresh Pond Rd. and another one on Metropolitan Ave.
March 26th, 2008 at 2:23 am
i grew up on willouhby ave and knickerbocker. i remember pete as a teen when he was working in the pizzeria. my sister in fla just told me about this today and it shocks the hell out of me. i now live in nashville, tn. but you know you jear about these things everyday and is reall no different than any other prominent or nobody getting caught doing the wrong thing
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Jeremy you are a douchebag. No one condones the disgusting acts of a child molester but your disdain of Italians is sickening. Im sure you would never made the same reference to this man if he was Puerto Rican or Black, but in your circles, it is ok to poke fun at Italians. Italians are some of the most hardworking people in this country. You talk about the “probably the three italian kids that grew up in Buschwick”. For your information My fathers whole family is from Bushwick and though not nearly as many as before, there are still Italians who never left. Not when crime was bad and the city was in shambles. You however would have never lived in Bushwick 10 years ago. I know you arent from there. I doubt there is even one guy named Jeremy that was raised in Bushwick. why dont you take your punk ass attitude back to the midwest where you belong, where it is acceptable to be an ignorant fool. Dont let me catch you on Knickerbocker son.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Haha, yes Joe, my disdain for Italians is bubbling over, isn’t it just?
“Italians are some of the hardest working people”…what is this, 1930? OF COURSE it’s okay to poke fun at Italians, where the fuck have you been the whole last century. In my “circles,” it’s okay to poke fun at everyone and anyone because my circles aren’t filled with overly sensitive whiners like you.
People really need to start getting a clue and doing just a cursory bit of research before they open their big, idiot fucking mouths on the internet. Someone could really make a fool of oneself, especially with that “Midwest” epithet tossed at everyone with which a New Yorker, new or native, disagrees. News flash, asshole: they got Italians in the Midwest, too.
And, oooh, nothing like making anonymous threats against strangers on the internet to prove your manhood, huh you fuckin dirtbag? I know you’re a dirtbag because you think it’s a great thing to have stayed in Bushwick and raised one’s children here even as it became a burning-down crack den. Moron.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Your a bitch ass.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Please leave new york. Your giving us a bad name
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Hey JOE G,
Why all the animosity? You should know that this neighborhood has always been a transient one and that no one lays claim to it. Hell, back in the 1930’s when this was a German neighborhood, no one would rent to my great-grandmother because she was Italian. I’ve grown up here my whole life and it’s in your best interest to accept the change. It’s because of the influx of the new folks here that our property values are rising or stabilizing at the very least. We are both natives and the newbies will never know what it was like back in the day (shoot, I remember starting the Fourth of July a month early with the firecrackers, so do you!). I also know, JOE G that for a long time this place was run by, shall we say “Soprano, Inc.” followed by whore and crack kingpins. That being said, I know where I came from and will forever be proud but am aware of the chameleon-like nature of this place. Jeremy, as a native of Bushwick, I’ve visited this site on almost a daily basis and enjoy reading it. On behalf of the majority of the neighborhood, I welcome you (a tad belated since you’ve been for a while yourself) and anyone else that wants to live here.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Joe, I feel you. I did not even say one word about how I feel about the changes in New York that have been happening since the Dutch got here. I welcome everyone but I just took issue with people who think it is ok to make fun of any ethnic group. People just need to do their knowledge before they start blogging about this like they know evertyhing. Especially how New Yorkers on a whole are insensitive whiners. Go read it it’s on another posting. If he has such a problem with new yorkers why is he here? Any way Joe, god bless.
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
JOE G, you’re making a fool of yourself. Well you would, if anyone knew or cared who you were. Regular “Joe,” thanks for the welcome.
April 5th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Hey, Joe G - take a deep breath dude. I don’t see where that rant came from and I can’t understand what was said to make you so sensitive in the first place. I’m 100% Italian (my grandfather was one of those hard working immigrants) and I make fun of Italians more than anyone. And anyway, as my Jewish friend from Long Island with the jappy step-mother says, stereotypes are there for a reason. That’s what makes the Simpsons so funny.