The Bouncers at McSorley’s Enforced the Law

Cara Di Edwardo, 59, has lived in the Surmach building for more than 40 years.

Iknew the Surmach family from way back. Markian was in my third-grade class, and Yaroslava was my first calligraphy teacher. She was endlessly creative. They had a huge stand in the store with postcards made of prints from her work. But the ’80s were rough. There was a lot of homelessness, a lot of mentally ill people. There were empty lots everywhere and stories of landlords burning their own buildings to get squatters out. Seventh Street was always a little island of okay. I could just get a bouncer from McSorley’s alehouse to clear the way for me if I needed help getting into my building. There was more than one occasion where I’d see a guy getting his ass kicked by the bouncers for trying to steal a car. There weren’t a lot of businesses on the side streets back then, and most stores wouldn’t even open until 11 a.m. because the owners were waiting for the street parking to go legal. When I arrived, I was the youngest person in the building. Now I’m the oldest. I remember one day I saw someone walking a pair of Afghan dogs. Until then, all you saw were pit bulls. That’s when I knew the neighborhood was really changing. My window looks out onto St. George Church. I still see all the people coming out after Sunday service. They still dress in traditional Ukrainian folk costumes for Easter. But they mostly don’t live in the neighborhood anymore. They gather for a bit, but then everyone gets in their cars and they drive off.