The threat of community displacement and gentrification has been rearing its ugly head across all of Harlem. The three Council Members, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Robert Jackson, and Inez Dickens, who supposedly represent the three districts that make up Harlem: West Harlem, Central Harlem, and East Harlem, have banded together time and again to support gentrification and displacement. On Wednesday April 30th, the full City Council is expected to vote on the destructive “River to River” plan which would rezone historic 125th St. to include thousands of luxury apartments and displace over 70 local businesses and hundreds of workers and tenants. On Sunday, April 27th, at 1:00 PM, Movement for Justice in El Barrio held a protest in Harlem in front of the office of the Council Member from East Harlem, Melissa Mark-Viverito, to protest against her efforts to gentrify our neighborhood and stand in solidarity with our neighbor communities by denouncing her support for gentrification and displacement across Harlem.
There was simultaneous protests against Council Member Robert Jackson in West Harlem and Council Member Inez Dickens in Central Harlem held by the Coalition to Preserve Community, the Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center, V.O.T.E. People, Harlem Tenants Council and Preserve Harlem's Legacy.
Melissa Mark Viverito has supported displacement throughout Harlem by: · Supporting the “River to River” 125th St. proposed plan which will rezone historic 125th St., displace hundreds of tenants due to construction of thousands of luxury apartments, and displace over 70 local business and hundreds of workers. · Voting in favor of the Columbia university expansion plan, which seeks to bulldoze affordable housing, displace small businesses, and relies on eminent domain to take over West Harlem and to push people from their homes and community. · Standing by and ignoring the displacement in our community in East Harlem as low-income tenants are attacked by multinational corporations, landlords, and city institutions.
The three council members, Dickens, Jackson and Mark Viverito recently unveiled a revised plan for the rezoning of 125th St. which they claim addresses the communities concerns around displacement. This plan merely disguises a plan that will redesign 125th St. in favor of corporate interests and contribute to the gentrification of a community with a long dignified history and culture. Claims that the new so-called affordable housing mentioned in the “points of agreement” between the Council Members and the Administration will resolve the push towards gentrification and displacement that is intrinsic to the plan in both its original and revised versions, are attempts to make a destructive plan, that was formed with no community participation and sustained community opposition, politically palatable. While Council Members claim that the plan will create 1785 “affordable” or income-targeted units in addition to the 2023 market rate units, only 18% will be permanently affordable while the remaining 82% could quickly revert to market rate. In addition, 550 (or 30% of units designated as income targeted) will be targeted at potential residents who have an income of 130% to 165% the median income of the area. With New York facing one of its most dire affordable housing crises, these measures do not even approach a real sincere effort to address the needs of the community.
“Melissa Mark Viverito claims that she is helping immigrants and low-income people but when it comes right down to it she turns her back on us and votes in favor of projects that will displace humble people of all colors from their homes.” says Paula Serrano member of Movement for Justice in El Barrio. These council members have repeatedly ignored the needs and just demands of our communities, they have voted in favor of the Columbia expansion plan, and now they have excluded the community from behind-the-scenes negotiations to push forward a manipulative and destructive revised proposal to redesign 125th St. The community has not been heeded and people are asking the question: “Who’s Harlem does this represent?”
Past NYC IMC Coverage of the redesign of 125th Street in Harlem
Harlem Uproar by Renee Feltz
125th Street on the Line by Renee Feltz
Harlem Community Forum Blasts Bloomberg's Gentrification Plan by Alex Kane
Movement for Justice in El Barrio Denounces 125th St. Gentrification Plan by MJB
There was simultaneous protests against Council Member Robert Jackson in West Harlem and Council Member Inez Dickens in Central Harlem held by the Coalition to Preserve Community, the Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center, V.O.T.E. People, Harlem Tenants Council and Preserve Harlem's Legacy.
Melissa Mark Viverito has supported displacement throughout Harlem by: · Supporting the “River to River” 125th St. proposed plan which will rezone historic 125th St., displace hundreds of tenants due to construction of thousands of luxury apartments, and displace over 70 local business and hundreds of workers. · Voting in favor of the Columbia university expansion plan, which seeks to bulldoze affordable housing, displace small businesses, and relies on eminent domain to take over West Harlem and to push people from their homes and community. · Standing by and ignoring the displacement in our community in East Harlem as low-income tenants are attacked by multinational corporations, landlords, and city institutions.
The three council members, Dickens, Jackson and Mark Viverito recently unveiled a revised plan for the rezoning of 125th St. which they claim addresses the communities concerns around displacement. This plan merely disguises a plan that will redesign 125th St. in favor of corporate interests and contribute to the gentrification of a community with a long dignified history and culture. Claims that the new so-called affordable housing mentioned in the “points of agreement” between the Council Members and the Administration will resolve the push towards gentrification and displacement that is intrinsic to the plan in both its original and revised versions, are attempts to make a destructive plan, that was formed with no community participation and sustained community opposition, politically palatable. While Council Members claim that the plan will create 1785 “affordable” or income-targeted units in addition to the 2023 market rate units, only 18% will be permanently affordable while the remaining 82% could quickly revert to market rate. In addition, 550 (or 30% of units designated as income targeted) will be targeted at potential residents who have an income of 130% to 165% the median income of the area. With New York facing one of its most dire affordable housing crises, these measures do not even approach a real sincere effort to address the needs of the community.
“Melissa Mark Viverito claims that she is helping immigrants and low-income people but when it comes right down to it she turns her back on us and votes in favor of projects that will displace humble people of all colors from their homes.” says Paula Serrano member of Movement for Justice in El Barrio. These council members have repeatedly ignored the needs and just demands of our communities, they have voted in favor of the Columbia expansion plan, and now they have excluded the community from behind-the-scenes negotiations to push forward a manipulative and destructive revised proposal to redesign 125th St. The community has not been heeded and people are asking the question: “Who’s Harlem does this represent?”
Past NYC IMC Coverage of the redesign of 125th Street in Harlem
Harlem Uproar by Renee Feltz
125th Street on the Line by Renee Feltz
Harlem Community Forum Blasts Bloomberg's Gentrification Plan by Alex Kane
Movement for Justice in El Barrio Denounces 125th St. Gentrification Plan by MJB
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