Progress New York : AOC's Green New Deal for Public Housing makes NYCHA tenants wait years for heat

AOC's Green New Deal for Public Housing makes NYCHA tenants wait years for heat.

Progress New York - Update

LETTER FROM NEW YORK

AOC's green New Deal for public housing ignores heat outages, Mayor's plan for demolition and RAD conversion, and makes NYCHA tenants wait years for repairs

Two weeks ago, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY 14) unveiled a green "New Deal" plan to "invest" up to $180 billion over ten (10) years in America's public housing stock. In recent days, surrogates for U.S. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez have retaliated whenever critics have noted that the green "New Deal" plan ignores the current public health crises facing public housing residents, particularly those which result from a lack of sufficient heat during winter.

The uncertain and conditional time frame of U.S. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's bill places NYCHA at risk of being gutted by the plan being put forth by Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City), which calls for demolition, rezoning, RAD conversion, and other assets sales.

According to information obtained by Progress New York, community opposition to the Mayor's plan has been obstructed by the Movement School, a project of Organize for Justice, which, in turn, is the 501(c)(4) lobbying arm of the Justice Democrats, the latter being the political action committee of nye demokrater widely-credited with electing U.S. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to Congress.

If U.S. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez ignores these conflicts, then she risks alienating public housing residents at a critical time in our Nation's governance.

Read More / Related Links

• LETTER FROM NEW YORK : AOC's green New Deal for public housing ignores heat outages, Mayor's plan for demolition and RAD conversion, and makes tenants wait years for repairs [Progress New York]


• Mayor Bill de Balsio's NYCHA Working Group is unlawful : complaint [Progress New York]


• VIDEO EDITORIAL : AOC's Green New Deal for Public Housing makes NYCHA tenants wait years for heat [YouTube]

Special Project Funding Raising Goal : $2,500 Progress New York has an opportunity to transfer some information and research to a nonprofit news service for a special project. Before the transfer can be made, some costs need to be recouped. Unfortunately, the nonprofit news service cannot pay for these costs. As a result, we must find a sponsor or to raise $2,500 before this transfer can be made. Please consider making a donation today toward this cost. Progress New York began with a dream that an investigative news coöperative could publish journalism that was consequential. That an important peer views the work of Progress New York with respect means we have reached a milestone. Any single sponsor committing to sponsoring the entire cost can call for more information : (347) 551-2299. Please make a donation today. The Donation page will be kept updated with the status of this fundraiser. Visit : Progress New York | Twitter | Facebook Have you become uninterested in participating in your own governance ? Unsubscribe.

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.

Promotion : Thanksgiving offer from Buddha Body Yoga and Flatiron Massage

Get ready for Thanksgiving with Buddha Body Yoga and Flatiron Massage.

Giving Thanks -- Special Promotional Offers

Buddha Body Yoga takes standard yoga poses and adjusts them, so that people of size or with injuries are successfully able to practice.

Find a Yoga class that is designed for you.

Do you feel out of place in Yoga classes, because of your size or restrictions on your range of motion ? Check out this introductory video about Buddha Body Yoga.

VIDEO : Yoga School for Bigger People [Brut via Facebook]

Register for live classes at Integral Yoga in the West Village or at Buddha Body Yoga in Flatiron. We also offer Livestream Yoga classes on Saturdays. All classes are taught by Michael Hayes LMT.

REGISTER NOW : Live Yoga Classes [Buddha Body Yoga]

REGISTER NOW : Livestream Yoga Classes [Buddha Body Yoga]

Special promotional offer

Buddha Body Yoga gives you special thanks for sharing your Yoga journey with us. If you sign-up to our new Flatiron Massage newsletter, then you will receive a 10% discount off of your next booking of a massage. Once you subscribe, you will receive a discount code that you can use on check-out from Flatiron Massage.

Flatiron Massage | Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes LMT is dedicated to outcome-based massage therapy and reflexology. Based in Flatiron, Manhattan.

With knowledge of many modalities and years of experience, Michael Hayes LMT offers sports massage therapy, pre- and post-natal massage, Shiatsu and Swedish massage therapy, and Thai foot reflexology.

Don't miss out on your Thanksgiving discount. If you sign-up to our new Flatiron Massage newsletter, then you will receive a 10% discount off of your next booking of a massage. Once you subscribe, you will receive a discount code that you can use on check-out from Flatiron Massage.

This was a sponsored message sent to you by Progress New York.

Have you become uninterested in participating in your own governance ? Unsubscribe.

Fallout of Presser, Protest : Greg Russ heckled, tenants locked out of NYCHA Working Group meeting

NYCHA tenants and activists were locked out of Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group on Tuesday night.

FIGHT FOR NYCHA - UPDATES

NYCHA Tenants, Activists Held A Press Conference, Protesting the Lack of Democracy of, and the Exclusion of Many From, Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group

Tenants and Activists Were Locked Out of Closed-Door, Secret Meeting in Violation of State's Open Meetings Law

In what could be a first in New York City, NYCHA tenants and activists heckled Greg Russ, the public housing authority chair.

NYCHA tenants and activists heckled Greg Russ, the new chair of the New York City Housing Authority, or NYCHA. The confrontation took place outside of PS 33 in Cheslea on Tuesday night after NYCHA tenants and activists from Fight For NYCHA, Holmes-Isaacs Coälition, and Justice For All Coälition had concluded their press conference, denouncing the Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group.

VIDEO : NYCHA tenants, activists heckle Greg Russ as he tries to sneak into the rigged #WorkingGroup [YouTube]

Activists confront U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler's corrupt aide, Robert Atterbury, and call for a primary against Assemblymember Dick Gottfried.

NYCHA tenants also renewed calls for Robert Atterbury to be fired by U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY 10). Activists allege that Atterbury violated New York State's open meetings' law when he told a Fight For NYCHA member to leave the first meeting of Mayor de Blasio's undemocratic NYCHA Working Group. Tenants and activists also jeered Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (D-New York City), when he tried to sneak into the second meeting of Mayor de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group.

VIDEO : NYCHA tenants, activists call for Robert Atterbury to be fired, for primary against Dick Gottfried [YouTube]

NYCHA tenants and activists were denied entry to the secret, closed-door second meeting of the Mayor's NYCHA Working Group.

NYCHA tenants and activists were denied entry to a public building (PS 33 in Cheslea), and, thus, they were not permitted to attend the proceedings of the second meeting of Mayor de Blasio's rigged and stacked NYCHA Working Group.

VIDEO : NYCHA tenants, activists bum rush de Blasio's corrupt NYCHA Working Group at PS33, get locked out [YouTube]

Complete Facebook Live video and Further Reading.

The media and public statements made by NYCHA tenants and activists were broadcast on a Facebook Live stream. Some of the speakers included La Keesha Taylor and Saundrea Coleman from the Holmes-Isaacs Coälition ; Stanely Morse from the Justice For All Coälition ; and Lindsey Boylan, a 2020 Democratic Party primary candidate, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Nadler.

VIDEO : Press Conference and Protest against the second meeting of Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group [Facebook]

Climate Control is a Year-Round Issue at NYCHA, Especially for Seniors [City Limits News]

Mayor de Blasio launches 'working group' to hash out NYCHA plans in Chelsea [The New York Daily News]

Fight For NYCHA asserts that the NYCHA Working Group has sufficiently been revealed to be undemocratic and in violation of the State's open meetings law, and that its composition unfairly excludes tenants and stakeholders, particularly tenants from public housing developments that face RAD conversion, infill development, MIH rezoning, and air rights sales. What is more, Mayor de Blasio's undemocratic NYCHA Working Group has not publicly addressed questions of legality raised by a member of Fight For NYCHA at its first meeting. With your support, more information about these issues will be released as early as next week.

Fight For NYCHA is a collective of tenants, activists, artists, and advocates, who are providing technical support to NYCHA tenants to self-determine the future of public houisng in New York City. We oppose Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to put 1/3 of NYCHA into the hands of private landlords. We reject Mayor de Blasio's proposal, because the money exists to save NYCHA. We just have to change our priorities. Learn more about our People's Budget to fully-fund NYCHA.

# # #

Visit : Fight For NYCHA | Twitter | Facebook

This was a sponsored message sent to you by Progress New York.

Have you become uninterested in participating in your own governance ? Unsubscribe.

MEDIA ADVISORY : Press Conference and Protest of NYCHA Working Group

Join Fight For NYCHA Tues. night at 5:30 pm at PS 33 at 281 9th Ave., Manhattan, for a press conference.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact : Marni Halasa, (917) 501-9444, team@mg.fightfornycha.org

NYCHA Tenants, Activists to Hold Press Conference, Raising Criticism of de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group

[NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 28] ---- NYCHA tenants and tenant activists will hold a press conference before the start of the second meeting of Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group. This Working Group was formed to decide the demolition, RAD conversion, infill development, MIH rezoning, and air rights sale of NYCHA public housing. At least six (6) NYCHA public housing developments face some form of infill development or privatization in the near future, but tenants from only one (1) such housing development -- Fulton Houses -- got selected to this panel. They are joined by some tenants from Chelsea Houses and Elliott Houses. But many more tenants were excluded, including important stakeholders, like Fight For NYCHA. NYCHA faces a City-wide crisis, and Mayor de Blasio's response is to put 1/3 of NYCHA into the hands of private landlords. This is unacceptable. This panel should reflect a City-wide membership. Expected to speak at the press conference are representatives of Holmes-Isaacs Coälition, Justice for All Coälition, and Fight For NYCHA, as well as other NYCHA tenants.

DATE : Tuesday, 29-Oct-2019

TIME : 5:30 pm

PLACE : PS 33, 281 9th Ave. (Btwn. 26 and 27th Aves.), Manhattan

RSVP : Press Conference and Protest of NYCHA Working Group [Facebook]

BACKGROUND ON FIRST NYCHA WORKING GROUP MEETING

In order to get video of Deputy Mayor Vicki Been's presentation about NYCHA's future, a member of Fight For NYCHA had to risk arrest. Before NYPD Inspector Howard Redmond (the top cop, who reportedly covered up a car crash involving the mayor) and other NYPD officers showed up to menace the Fight For NYCHA member, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler's aide, Robert Atterbury, made deceptive statements by materially misrepresenting the proceedings of the NYCHA Working Group as a secret meeting that was closed to the public. In New York State, Government meetings are open meetings. Yet, Mr. Atterbury repeatedly indicated that a meeting that would discuss the disposition of NYCHA public assets and City real property was not a public meeting and that, improbably, the NYCHA Working Group was not a "civic group." Under New York State penal code, obstructing Government administration is a class A misdemeanor in the second degree. See § 195.05.

What is more, Fight For NYCHA has discovered that Mayor de Blasio has instituted a gag rule, demanding that the discussions of the NYCHA Working Group remain secret. This is a violation of Government transparency. It also violates the First Amendment rights of tenants to be able to speak in informed discussions about their own future. The gag rule and the restrictions in attendance also violate the State's open meetings law.

VIDEO : Vicki Been presentation for Demolition, Infill, RAD, MIH, and Air Rights Sale at NYCHA Working Group [YouTube]

VIDEO : NYPD threaten Fight For NYCHA member with arrest at Bill de Blasio's NYCHA Working Group [YouTube]

VIDEO : Fight For NYCHA calls on Jerry Nadler to fire Robert Atterbury for violating democracy, transparency [YouTube]

Please join Fight For NYCHA in demanding that the NYCHA Working Group be opened up to NYCHA tenants and important stakeholders City-wide and that its proceedings be made public.

Fight For NYCHA is a collective of tenants, activists, artists, and advocates, who are providing technical support to NYCHA tenants to self-determine the future of public houisng in New York City. We oppose Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to put 1/3 of NYCHA into the hands of private landlords. We reject Mayor de Blasio's proposal, because the money exists to save NYCHA. We just have to change our priorities. Learn more about our People's Budget to fully-fund NYCHA.

# # #

Visit : Fight For NYCHA | Twitter | Facebook

This was a sponsored message sent to you by Progress New York.

Have you become uninterested in participating in your own governance ? Unsubscribe.

Is it time for Corey Johnson to join Christine Quinn, Hillary Clinton, Joseph Crowley, and Melissa Mark-Viverito in being voted out of office ?

Anybody But CoJo

Popular will keeps getting subverted by a political lockstep that passes controversial City Council legislation that is underpinned by racism and austerity

[NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 17] ---- New York City is in a crisis. Tenants of the New York City Housing Authority, or NYCHA, have been living in inhumane conditions. A Federal investigation and numerous Court cases have revealed that NYCHA tenants live in apartments with mold, mildew, water leaks, lead paint, and insect and rodent infestations. News reports have exposed problems with lead in drinking water. It is estimated that NYCHA faces an unfunded capital improvement deficit of $32 billion. Over and over again, Elected Officials claim that the City has no money for NYCHA. That is a lie.

VISIT : Anybody But CoJo [Website]

At the same time when New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea) is claiming that there is no money to fully-fund NYCHA, he has very easily found up to $11 billion to build four new jails. Reports have suggested that Council Speaker Johnson is so hell-bent on continuing the racist era of mass incarceration that he is offering lucrative taxpayer funding to Councilmembers in exchange for their votes. "In January, the state will outlaw cash bail for most people charged with misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies and will require prosecutors to provide evidence to the defense far earlier," according to a report published by the New York Times, arguably precluding the need for any, much less such an expansive, new jail system to replace Rikers Island, once it is scheduled to close.

A convergence of racism and austerity

Some critics of the four new jails plan have demanded that the $11 billion be earmarked, instead, as part of a joint Local and State Government plan to fully-fund NYCHA. But Council Speaker Johnson and others refuse to support any new Government funding proposals, even though new tax ideas are reasonable and not punitive. Some of these tax ideas are even legislation-ready. See, e.g., the People's Budget, as proposed by the group Fight For NYCHA.

When public housing, as we know it today, was being established, it largely excluded people of color until passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Eventually, public housing not only became integrated, but the majority of tenants became people of color, a reflection of the historic and systemic divide in economic opportuniy, income, and wealth based on race. After the majority of public housing tenants became people of color, the Govenrment began a ssytemic divestiment of public housing, melding racism and austerity.

Now comes Council Speaker Johson, expressing a desire to continue the racist era of mass incarceration, while at the same time continuing the racist era of divestment from public housing.

The only outcome that Council Speaker Johnson appears to support is for the private sector to begin to take control of public housing, conditions that have already been exposed to lead to civil rights violations, rent increases, and higher eviction rates. The juxtaposition of Council Speaker Johnson's policiess on incarceration and housing reveals a "CoJo doctrine" of racism and austerity that we must reject. Since becoming leader of the Municipal legislature, Council Speaker Johnson has sought to continue the corporate Democratic Party agenda of neoliberalism in New York City, even in the face of rising calls for a true progressive future based on restorative economic and racial justice. For these and other reasons, to be explored in the near future, Anybody But CoJo announces its intention to oppose Council Speaker Johnson's declared 2021 candidacy in the New York City mayor's race.

# # #

Visit : Anybody But CoJo | Twitter | Facebook

This was a sponsored message sent to you by Progress New York.

Have you become uninterested in participating in your own governance ? Unsubscribe.

Help Progress New York Grow

Help Progress New York share information and research with a nonprofit news outlet.

Progress New York - Update

Special Project Funding Raising Goal : $2,500

Progress New York has commenced discussions to transfer some information and research to a nonprofit news service for a special project. This is an exciting opportunity for Progress New York. Before the transfer can be made, some costs need to be recouped. Unfortunately, the nonprofit news service cannot pay for these costs. As a result, we must find a sponsor or to raise $2,500 before this transfer can be made. Please consider making a donation today toward this cost.

Progress New York began with a dream that an investigative news coöperative could publish journalism that was consequential. That an important peer views the work of Progress New York with respect means we have reached a milestone.

Any single sponsor committing to sponsoring the entire cost can call for more information : (347) 551-2299. Please make a donation today. The Donation page will be kept updated with the status of this fundraiser. These are exciting times ! Thank you for all of your support ! Louis Visit : Progress New York | Twitter | Facebook Have you become uninterested in participating in your own governance ? Unsubscribe.

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.