Often the most interesting moments of a legal battle happen in the halls and elevators of the courthouse.
That was certainly the case Tuesday, as members of the Brooklyn Democratic Party faced off for the second time this week in their struggle for the future of the party.
Fall light flooded the seventh-floor corridor of Brooklyn Supreme Court as a handful of reporters, attorneys and Brooklyn Democrats huddled, waiting for the morning hearing to begin. At the end of the hall, I spotted the elusive outgoing party chair, State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, whom I have written about extensively but never spoken to in person regarding this matter (my many messages have gone unanswered).
The assemblymember was sharp-suited as always, and I sidled up to politely introduce myself and ask whether I could take her photograph, considering we've rarely had an opportunity to capture her in person. Bichotte Hermelyn responded that if Hell Gate was going to write critically about her, she may as well look good. She then proceeded to pose for a 12-frame photoshoot with me. "Don't smile," advised her attorney, Abrams Fensterman's Amy Marion. Bichotte Hermelyn adjusted her look to one of confident defiance. "A little smirk is OK?," the assemblymember clarified.