The Slave Theatre

  In the 1980s, John L. Phillips, a legend in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, produced “Hands Across Two Continents", a film about interracial love so controversial that no one would distribute it.

Characteristically undaunted, Phillips bought his own theatres: The Slave No. 1, at 1215 Fulton Street, and The Black Lady, at 750 Nostrand Avenue, in Brooklyn.

A black Renaissance man, Phillips did it all -- his way. In addition to teaching martial arts, producing indie films and developing properties in Bed-Stuy -- when no one would invest in the neighborhood -- he was a World War II vet, a successful lawyer and, for 17 years, a Brooklyn Civil Court judge.

Built in the 1930s and originally named The Regent, The Slave No. 1 is a 1-screen, 546 seat movie theatre. Clarence Hardy, Phillips' long-time friend, is its caretaker and the keeper of its legacy.

As Hardy tells it, when Phillips decided in 2001 to run against then-4-term incumbent Charlie Hynes for Brooklyn District Attorney, he found himself the target of an investigation: allegedly, Phillips had been the target of a real estate scam.

Although, according to the New York Times, no one was arrested as a result of that investigation, Phillips was found mentally incompetent, removed from the ballot, and placed under court-ordered guardianship.

In the aftermath, all of Phillips' assets were frozen and his properties were turned over to court-appointed guardians. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds from the sale of his properties ended up in his guardians’ pockets, leaving $2 million in federal taxes and fees unpaid -- to this day.

By 2004, Phillips, stripped of his money and his property, had been involuntarily placed in a nursing home in the Bronx. His home at 155 Herkimer St. in Brooklyn burned down that same year.

Phillips died in institutional care, still under guardianship, in February, 2008.

Phillips' nephew, The Rev. Samuel Boykin, now trying to untangle Phillips' affairs as the administrator of his uncle's estate, is faced with having to liquidate all of its remaining real estate holdings, including the The Slave, in order to pay off the IRS.

Boykin is trying to find a suitable buyer for The Slave, recently listed by realtor Massey Knakal for $2.9 million.

If you are interested in buying The Slave, the number at the theatre is 234-788-2876.

The theatre is open each day from 9 AM until sunset. To volunteer at the theatre, call Mr. Hardy at 718-581-723. He usually arrives there by around 1:00 PM.

Mr. Hardy's son has mounted a website for The Slave.

Since October 2008, Rev. Boykin has filed complaints against eight organizations that played a role in the his uncle's guardianship, including a wrongful death suit against the nursing facility where Phillips died.

Click here  to see a Hiroki Kobayashi photograph of the interior of The Slave. 

Or visit the Save the Slave! facebook fan page.

I have a strong hunch that The Slave, quite apart from its value as real estate or as an artifact of African-American history, is likely to be one of the richest and potentially most valuable troves of outsider art on the planet.

The bedstuygateway post.