Wednesday, March 13, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Saturday's March Against Racism and Fascism does nothing to end racism in NYC



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Saturday's March Against Racism and Fascism does nothing to end racism in NYC : Statement by Fight For NYCHA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact : Louis Flores, (347) 551-2299


STATEMENT BY FIGHT FOR NYCHA


13 March 2019 (New York) — Fight For NYCHA believes that the March Against Racism and Fascism, a parade put on by the coälition of United Against Racism and Fascism-NYC, is problematic over the misuse of « racism » in the title of their upcoming parade, scheduled for Sat., Mar. 16. Members of Fight For NYCHA learned that the coördinating committee for this parade lacked representation by Black and Brown people and that, although the parade was nominally opposing racism first, the parade had no political targets and was making no demands to end institutions of racism, particularly here in New York City. The parade is set to take place in Foley Square. Within blocks of the parade grounds are located the offices of Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City), New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea), and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, each of whom are responsible for racist policies, such as supporting Broken Windows policing, approving rezonings that spread gentrification in low-income neighborhoods, and failing to propose a fully-funded settlement with the New York City Housing Authority to address its twin problems of poor physical condition standards and the lead poisoning crisis, respectively. Mayor de Blasio and Council Speaker Johnson also control the City Budget, and they refuse to provide NYCHA with enough money to improve the living standards of public housing tenants, who are a majority Black and Brown people. What is more, Mayor de Blasio supports building new jails to replace Rikers Island that will negatively impact Black and Brown people and people needing medical attention. Where do parade representatives stand on any of these policies that rest on racism ? Despite the stated first priority of this parade, there is no indication that any of these Government officials are targets of the parade against racism. Since racism is a major determinant of housing injustice, particularly in New York City, particularly in public housing, this parade misses a great opportunity to identify targets and to make demands to address racism in housing, for example.


Many groups representing the reform and resistance movements naturally oppose racism and facism, as does Fight For NYCHA. However, empty events, such as this parade, drain energy and resources from the efforts of others, who are engaged in struggles to challenge and end racism in society, particularly here in New York City, and particularly in public housing.


Fight For NYCHA is a collective of tenants, activists, artists, and advocates, who are protesting Mayor Bill de Blasio's announced proposal to sell 1/3 of NYCHA to private real estate interests in order to « save » NYCHA. We reject Mayor de Blasio's proposal because the money exists to save NYCHA. We just have to change our priorities


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Saturday, February 9, 2019

HAPPENING TOMORROW : Feb. 10 Rally at City Hall and March to U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA



Reminder : Feb. 10 Rally at City Hall and March to U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA


Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) has proposed to sell up to 62,000 public housing apartments in a scheme that would allow private real estate developers and investors to buy into NYCHA. This plan, as corrupt as it is in many ways, won't be challenged by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who, has offered a new, shoddy settlement to quickly get rid of his investigation of the lead poisoning crisis at NYCHA that is silent on the sale of 1/3 of NYCHA. Before Berman became the top Manhattan Federal prosecutor, he was Rudy Giuliani's former law partner. Questions exist whether U.S. Attorney Berman respects the public opinion that informed the creation of NYCHA. NYCHA was formed in 1934 during the Great Depression after Fiorello La Guardia campaigned for mayor with the promise to create Government housing. In 1934, delegates representing 750,000 workers adopted a resolution to treat housing construction and maintenance as a social good, not unlike public transportation and public education.*



Powerful men, who support Big Business elites, are turning a blind eye to the suffering of average people, who live in public housing. On top of dealing with lead poisoning, exposure to toxic mold, and no head in the winter, now public housing residents must confront private landlords, who only want want to churn through tenants as a way to get to deregulation. We say, not on our watch ! These decisions -- to keep throwing pennies on the dollar to public housing as a pretext to sell public housing -- are being made without our consent. This is wrong. We need to have a say -- so we can block any sale of NYCHA.


Shirley Chisholm said, "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair." Bring a folding chair with you, if you can, to our rally.



With your help, we can save public housing.


Join us.


Fight For NYCHA



Fight For NYCHA, a collective of tenants, activists, artists, and advocates, who are protesting Mayor Bill de Blasio's announced proposal to sell 1/3 of NYCHA (62,000 apartments) to private real estate interests in order to "save" NYCHA. We reject Mayor de Blasio's proposal because the money exists to save NYCHA. We just have to change our priorities. Follow Fight For NYCHA on Facebook and Twitter.


* See PUBLIC HOUSING ASKED BY WORKERS ; Social Control Just as in Education Is Endorsed at Meeting of 80 Delegates. MAYOR AND POST FAVOR IT LaGuardia Tells Labor Council Federal Money Will Only Begin to Meet City's Needs., The New York Times (29 June 1934), https://www.nytimes.com/1934/06/29/archives/public-housing-asked-by-workers-social-control-just-as-in-education.html.



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Sunday, January 27, 2019

Protest Change Notice : Feb. 10 Rally at City Hall and March to U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA



Protest Change Notice : Feb.10 Rally at City Hall and March to U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA

Protest Change Notice : Feb. 10 Rally at City Hall and March to U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA


Our prior demonstration has been replaced by this event.


The goal of this direct action is to highlight an alternative solution to save NYCHA. Everybody please show up on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m. for a rally at the steps of City Hall, after which we will march to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is only a few blocks away.




Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) has proposed to sell up to 62,000 public housing apartments in a scheme that would allow private real estate developers and investors to buy into NYCHA. This plan, as corrupt as it is in many ways, must be approved by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who, is trying to settle a years-long Federal investigation into the lead poisoning crisis at NYCHA. Before Berman became the top Manhattan Federal prosecutor, he was Rudy Giuliani's former law partner. Questions exist whether U.S. Attorney Berman appreciates the public opinion that informed the creation of NYCHA.


NYCHA was formed in 1934 during the Great Depression after Fiorello La Guardia campaigned for mayor with the promise to create Govenrment housing. In 1934, delegates representing 750,000 workers adopted a resolution to treat housing construction and maintenance as a social good, not unlike public transportation and public education.*


By putting NYCHA into the hands of private real estate developers and investors, Mayor Bill de Blasio is saying we can trust the very same individuals, who spend millions to lobby to end rent regulations in New York State. Who thinks this can work ? Privatization of NYCHA will also dangerously legitimize the growing philosophy that most issues are best handled by the private sector, an approach that has been detrimental to numerous other agencies.


Mayor de Blasio claims his plan will raise $15 billion for NYCHA repairs. Our initial demand is that Mayor de Blasio cancel the corrupt $3 billion in taxpayer monies being given to Amazon and to stop the construction of four new jails to replace Rikers Island, thereby saving $10 billion, and to use these $13 billion for NYCHA. Alternatively, the City could impose a 1% income tax on all corporations of a certain size with an office in New York City. Either way, there should be no need to sell any public housing apartments to the real estate industry. Please keep in mind that, in order to make these demands, we are asking that Rikers be shut down, as we fully support the prison abolition movement.


All along, our greatest fear was that public housing was defunded, so it could reach such a state of neglect that it would be used as a pretext for its sale. Besides us, two men stand in the way of Mayor de Blasio's plan to sell NYCHA : U.S. Attorney Berman and U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley III. Recently, Judge Pauley has indicated that he does not support a judicial receivership. That puts more of an emphasis on U.S. Attorney Berman to oppose the sale of NYCHA. At a recent speech, U.S. Attorney Berman said, "There is no more important case in my Office than NYCHA." Our rally and march will ask him to consider how history will judge him if he permits Mayor de Blasio to violate the public sentiment that informed the creation of NYCHA.


And make sure to sign up here so we can keep you posted about future events as this is only the beginning. And make sure to spread the word about our event by promoting it on Facebook and Twitter ! We are strength in numbers !



With your help, we can save public housing.


Join us.


Fight For NYCHA



Follow Fight For NYCHA on Facebook and Twitter.


* See PUBLIC HOUSING ASKED BY WORKERS ; Social Control Just as in Education Is Endorsed at Meeting of 80 Delegates. MAYOR AND POST FAVOR IT LaGuardia Tells Labor Council Federal Money Will Only Begin to Meet City's Needs., The New York Times (29 June 1934), https://www.nytimes.com/1934/06/29/archives/public-housing-asked-by-workers-social-control-just-as-in-education.html.



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Sunday, January 13, 2019

Direct Action Alert : Bring your trash to the U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA : 31 January 2019



Direct Action Alert : Bring trash to U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA

Bring your trash to the U.S. Attorney's Office to save NYCHA


The goal of this direct action is to highlight an alternative solution to save NYCHA. Everybody is invited to bring trash to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Downtown Manhattan on Jan. 31, the date by which the Government must file its latest plan to save public housing in New York City.




Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) has proposed to sell up to 62,000 public housing apartments in a scheme that would allow private real estate developers and investors to buy into NYCHA. This plan, as corrupt as it is in many ways, must be approved by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who, is trying to settle a years-long Federal investigation into the lead poisoning crisis at NYCHA. Before Berman became the top Manhattan Federal prosecutor, he was Rudy Giuliani's former law partner.


NYCHA was formed in 1934 during the Great Depression. Before its formation, delegates representing 750,000 workers adopted a resolution to treat housing construction and maintenance as a social good, not unlike public transportation and public education.*


By putting NYCHA into the hands of private real estate developers and investors, Mayor Bill de Blasio is saying we can trust the very same individuals, who spend millions to lobby to end rent regulations in New York State. Who thinks this can work ? Privatization of NYCHA will also dangerously legitimize the growing philosophy that most issues are best handled by the private sector, an approach that has been detrimental to numerous other agencies.


Mayor de Blasio claims his plan will raise $15 billion for NYCHA repairs. Our demand is that Mayor de Blasio cancel the corrupt $3 billion in taxpayer monies being given to Amazon and to stop the construction of four new jails to replace Rikers Island, thereby saving $10 billion, and to use these $13 billion for NYCHA. As a result, there should be no need to sell any public housing apartments to the real estate industry. Please keep in mind that we are asking that Rikers be shut down, as we fully support the prison abolition movement.


All along, our greatest fear was that public housing was defunded, so it could reach such a state of neglect that it would be used as a pretext for its sale. How would U.S. Attorney Berman like it if his building got sold, just because it was not properly maintained ? This is the same flawed logic that is driving Mayor de Blasio's corrupt plan to sell off NYCHA. Bring all the trash that you and your neighbors have to the U.S. Attorney's Office on Jan. 31.


And make sure to sign up here so we can keep you posted about future events as this is only the beginning. And make sure to spread the word about our event by promoting it on Facebook and Twitter ! We are strength in numbers !



With your help, we can save public housing.


Join us.



* See PUBLIC HOUSING ASKED BY WORKERS ; Social Control Just as in Education Is Endorsed at Meeting of 80 Delegates. MAYOR AND POST FAVOR IT LaGuardia Tells Labor Council Federal Money Will Only Begin to Meet City's Needs., The New York Times (29 June 1934), https://www.nytimes.com/1934/06/29/archives/public-housing-asked-by-workers-social-control-just-as-in-education.html.




If you have any of the following items, please bring them with you :


10 Common Household Items That Contain Lead



  1. Plastics

  2. Cosmetics

  3. Paint on Toys and Homes

  4. Toy Jewelry

  5. Ceramics

  6. Batteries in Products

  7. Glass

  8. New York City tap water

  9. Plumbing

  10. Household Dust




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Sunday, December 30, 2018

Happy New Year : Feds consulting with de Blasio, as he privatises NYCHA, despite past campaign finance controversies from real estate donors : 30 December 2018



Happy New Year from Progress New York ! Feds consulting with de Blasio, as he privatises NYCHA, despite past campaign finance controversies from real estate donors.

Feds consulting with de Blasio, as he privatises NYCHA, despite past campaign finance controversies from real estate donors


If the Government permits former U.S. Bharara to maintain exclusivity over some of his speech records, then it might be shown that the Nation's former top prosecutor has engaged in unjust enrichment from his time in office, charges, ironically, that he essentially brought against a number of officials he accused of public corruption.




By Progress New York Staff


The same U.S. Attorney's Office — which, in March 2017, accused Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City) and his administration of soliciting money from campaign donors, and then undertaking official actions on behalf of the donors and which had seized in April 2014 the records of the now-defunct Moreland Commission to investigate, amongst other purported crimes, the corrupting role of real estate donations in New York politics — is now inexplicably negotiating with the de Blasio administration over the future of public housing in New York City. The Local Government Agency that owns and administers public housing, the New York City Housing Authority, or NYCHA, faces a capital improvement deficit exceeding $32 billion, and NYCHA must now confront the unaffordable dilemma of bringing to an end to each of a lead poisoning crisis, a toxic mold disaster, and a general uninhabitability catastrophe in public housing. After U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley III rejected a pennies on the dollar settlement proposed by the Government, the Nation's top Federal prosecutor for New York's southern district, Geoffrey Berman, is now reportedly trying to shore up a second proposed settlement that will please Judge Pauley.


Before U.S. Attorney Berman became the Nation's top prosecutor in New York's southern district, he was a partner in the Big Business law firm, Greenberg Traurig, the same law firm that employed former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R-New York City) and Borough President Melinda Katz (D-Queens). Because U.S. Attorney Berman lacks political experience and because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, ideologically now opposes the New Deal promise of treating housing as a social good, HUD's indifference and U.S. Attorney Berman's political naïveté have been reportedly permitting Mayor de Blasio to limit the City's financial responsibility during settlement discussions. Such an arrangement may explain, at least in part, why Judge Pauley deemed the first proposed settlement as insufficient.


Although Judge Pauley was able to stop the first proposed settlement due to its inadequacy, there is no legal mechanism in place to prevent U.S. Attorney Berman from making political and economical mistakes that would further disadvantage public housing tenants and potentially rob the City of strategic public assets. Mayor de Blasio's immediate response to Judge Pauley's rejection of the first proposed settlement was to ramp up the privatisation of public housing, with no democratic check on his decision. Inexplicably, U.S. Attorney Berman is negotiating with Mayor de Blasio about NYCHA's future, even after Federal prosecutors had, at one time, investigated real estate donors to Mayor de Blasio's various political committees. Furthermore, after the de Blasio administration had approved a prior sale of a portfolio of Section 8 buildings by NYCHA to a consortium that included politically-connected donors to Mayor de Blasio, the Internal Revenue Service had reportedly shown interest in that secret transaction, according to information obtained by Progress New York, but it is not know whatever became of that interest. Yet, Federal law enforcement officials have engaged in consultations with the de Blasio administration over a potential new settlement for NYCHA that may involve more such troubling sales. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-New York), about to begin his third term in office, has faced investigations of his real estate donors, and he has largely escaped scrutiny for the collapse of public housing on his watch. Meanwhilst, in recent years, the professional class of activists in New York City have responded to Government failure at NYCHA by calling for the resignations of former NYCHA CEO Shola Olatoye and outgoing Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, but, thus far, no direct challenges have been mounted against each respective top State and City Government executive. Even the newly self-entitled champion of public housing tenants, U.S. Attorney Berman, who said of NYCHA during a speech that "In my view, there is no case of greater size, scope, or impact on our docket," has become aloof on the subject. He, several of his Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and his press office each refused to answer several communications for this report.


NYCHA's collapse is every bit a result of neoliberalism's failure as it is of conservatism's betrayal of the public interest. Now, because of this political failure, Federal prosecutors are negotiating directly with the poor's oppressors.



In 2014, the de Blasio administration approved in secret that a cash-strapped NYCHA would sell a portfolio of Section 8 buildings, including 930 Halsey Street and 55 Saratoga Avenue in Brooklyn, into a consortium that included politically-connected real estate developers. According to Google Street View images, the buildings had undergone renovation prior to their sale. Source : Google Street View/Screen Shot/Sept. 2014/Fair Use


Public housing in New York City slid into a state of disrepair due to a combination of factors : the defunding by Washington élites of New Deal and Great Society programmes, the market failure of the unregulated real estate development industry, the consequence of neoliberalism in the Democratic Party, and because the State's and the City's budgets have been being influenced by Big Business interests. The Section 8 conversion programme, that is opened the door to the privatisation of NYCHA, was produced during the administration of President Barack Obama (D). The State, which regulates the City's housing laws, and the City, which is in charge of appointing the Board of Directors at NYCHA, have had their Budgets put under a microscope by an Orwellian-named board of Big Business directors, the Citizens Budget Commission. The CBC, for short, makes sure that the State and the City don't get carried away with answering the inequalities created by unregulated markets. That mainly looks like blocking any increases of taxes on the wealthy to fight economic inequalities and poverty.


NYCHA has also been mismanaged. NYCHA has become a place where elected officials and their operatives can groom political supporters in exchange for tokenism and patronage. Such an arrangement has largely curtailed the ability of NYCHA tenant leaders from truly advocating for public housing tenants. After public housing tenants were left with no apparatus to exert political pressure on a Government that left them essentially disenfranchised, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney launched in 2016 a two-year investigation into NYCHA's physical condition standards. Federal prosecutors sued NYCHA to bring about a settlement that would end conditions that created a lead poisoning crisis, toxic mold emergency, and general uninhabitability catastrophe in public housing. In the process, the U.S. Attorney's Office accused NYCHA of failures and of engaging in deception to hide the true extent of its lead poisoning crisis. But, thus far, Federal prosecutors have refrained from holding the de Blasio administration criminally responsible for permitting the lead poisoning crisis to worsen during his administration.


NYCHA was created in 1934 after 800 delegates representing 750,000 workers endorsed a resolution calling for housing construction and maintenance to be treated as a social good, not unlike public education and public transportation, according to a report published by the New York Times. Mayor de Blasio's plans to privatise NYCHA, in violation of the public sentiment that informed the creation of NYCHA in the wake of the Great Depression, has thus far been met by muted response amongst New York City's professional activist class. The campaign of U.S. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and the press office of the New York City Democratic Socialists, which is the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, did not answer press inquiries for this report. According to information obtained by Progress New York, some political forces in New York City are organising for NYCHA to fall into Federal receivership, an outcome, were it come to pass, would also promise some form of privatisation, given the ideology of Washington élites. There may be a way for U.S. Attorney Berman to save NYCHA, according to political tacticians, but first he has to navigate a landscape that would superficially blame the Trump administration for NYCHA's dilemma instead of holding Mayor de Blasio accountable for how the role of Big Money in his political campaigns have corrupted his housing, public health, and economic policies. For, if NYCHA were to be indiscriminately privatised, then it wouldn't just be Mayor de Blasio, who would be responsible for the betrayal of the New Deal promise of treating housing as a social good, but it would also be U.S. Attorney Berman, HUD Secretary Benjamin Carson, and U.S. District Judge Pauley. Apart from permitting Mayor de Blasio to privatise NYCHA, Federal officials have already been countenancing sales and leases conducted in secret of NYCHA real property to some of the politically-connected real estate donors to Mayor de Blasio's various political committees. The élites created the problem at NYCHA, and, ironically, they will determine if public housing has a future in New York City.


New York City Government once treated housing as a social good ; now it espouses pro-business elitism and an indifference to the sufferings of ordinary citizens.


"The irony is that de Blasio ran on a slogan of A Tale of Two Cities," said Pauline Park, an anti-corruption and LGBT activist who led the campaign for transgender rights law enacted by the New York City Council in 2002, referring to the classic English novel about societal despair and revolution, adding that the Dickensian concepts of rewarding wealthy donors, meanwhilst allowing NYCHA to fall further into disrepair, had become a hallmark of Mayor de Blasio's administration. Ms. Park said that there was a clear need to raise taxes on the wealthy and on corporations in order to fully fund NYCHA's restoration, noting that a recent tax reform bill championed by President Donald Trump (R) did the opposite. "Many corporations pay no taxes," Ms. Park said, adding that corporations like Amazon.com and Wal-Mart were actually subsidised by taxpayers. When asked about Mayor de Blasio's apparent duplicity on fighting economic inequalities, Ms. Park stated that Mayor "de Blasio has been pushing a false image of himself as a progressive and as a national leader of progressives," and she noted that Mayor de Blasio's unfavourability ratings have not reach the lows of then MayorGiuliani in the time before the attacks of 9/11 or of then Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R-New York City) in his final year in office. As a result, Ms. Park said, "As for why there are no yellow vests [protests having an impact] in New York City ? I think de Blasio is heartily disliked by New Yorkers, but he does have a core of supporters."


Ms. Park declared that Mayor de Blasio enjoys no voter mandate, generally, due to the conditions that led to his 2013 Democratic Party primary win in that year's mayoral race (the chaos created after former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY-09) pulled out, controversial backing by then New York City Councilmember Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) of a term limits extension and indication that she would reappoint Raymond Kelly as police commissioner, the campaign finance scandal that engulfed the campaign of then New York City Comptroller John Liu (D-New York City), and the refusal by former Comptroller Bill Thompson (D-New York City) to take on police misconduct as a campaign issue), and to the conditions that led to his 2017 reëlection (escaping indictment in the reported Federal corruption investigation into his campaign finance practises). What is more, Ms. Park questioned the existence of any mandate that specifically permitted Mayor de Blasio to sell-off NYCHA. Ms. Park stated that she had no faith in the U.S. Attorney's Office or in a Federal judge to save NYCHA, and she urged the public to closely follow all public officials "to the extent that they are actively or passively complicit in undermining public housing and public welfare, in general."


Public housing stock turns out to be critical to the function of society in New York City, particularly since there is a complete market failure to produce housing that is affordable to people earning very low incomes, much less to those living at or below the poverty level, especially since New York City has been experiencing a rapid depletion of rent regulated apartments, according to a 2015 report published by Gothamist. The interest in saving NYCHA is all he more compelling, particularly since three, successive mayoral administrations have spurred gentrification. "A Tale of Two Cities turns out to be a story of Bill de Blasio's betrayal of the campaign promises he made, instead rewarding the oligarchy of which he is a part ; like Giuliani and Bloomberg, he is a collaborator with the real estate industry in the immiseration and impoverishment of the City," Ms. Park said.


Recommended Reading






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Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas : Is Preet Bharara engaged in unjust enrichment ? SDNY Judge John Koeltl must resign : 25 December 2018


Merry Christmas from Progress New York ! Is Preet Bharara engaged in unjust enrichment ? Editorial calls for S.D.N.Y. Judge John Koeltl to resign.

Excerpts of recent posts to Progress New York :



To undermine open records request for Preet Bharara's speech records, DOJ relying on U.S. Attorney's Office, Federal judge to thwart FOIA Request


If the Government permits former U.S. Bharara to maintain exclusivity over some of his speech records, then it might be shown that the Nation's former top prosecutor has engaged in unjust enrichment from his time in office, charges, ironically, that he essentially brought against a number of officials he accused of public corruption.


21 December 2018


Litigation seeking the release of records of former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's speeches is reaching a possible conclusion in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Defendant U.S. Department of Justice commenced dispositive motion practise to dismiss the Complaint that was filed to seek the release of the records. The Government, represented by the same U.S. Attorney's Office formerly headed by former U.S. Attorney Bharara, has released transcripts, prepared remarks, or other records for approx. 40 speeches, but records for many other possible speeches remain unreleased.


The release of records, under regulations provided for under the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, has been taking place in the lead-up to the publication of "Doing Justice : A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law," a book of reflections by the Nation's former top prosecutor in New York's southern district. It was estimated that Former U.S. Attorney Bharara received $1 million for his book deal, according to a report published by the New York Post. Book deals that lead to such large advances usually require exclusivity in order to generate best-seller status upon a book's release in order for publishers to recover significant monies fronted to authors. If the Government permits former U.S. Bharara to maintain exclusivity over some of his speech records, then it might be shown that the Nation's former top prosecutor has engaged in unjust enrichment from his time in office, charges, ironically, that he essentially brought against a number of officials he accused of public corruption. Since being fired by President Donald Trump (R) during a purge at the DOJ, former U.S. Attorney Bharara's glossy media image as a reformer has been undone by reports by the WNYC 93.9 FM public radio station and Pro Publica, amongst others, that he carried out class- and race-based investigations and arrests after his office protected Wall Street CEO's from criminal prosecution, respectively.


Some of the records released by the DOJ reveal that former U.S. Attorney Bharara agreed to speak at events sponsored by at least one large law firm with a significant while collar criminal defense practise group, and that law firm ostensibly represented defendants in investigations by the Federal prosecutors' office formerly headed by the top ex-prosecutor. To limit the release of records, the Government has argued that the public's right to obtain Government records is not absolute. Reflecting this narrative, the Government filed a motion to dismiss the FOIA Lawsuit, and, to support its motion, the Government has filed declarations sworn under penalty of perjury describing searches for records that were shown to have been incomplete, and, therefore, unlawful. Congress enacted FOIA to "ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption and to hold the governors accountable to the governed." NLRB v. Robbins Tire & Rubber Co., 437 U.S. 214, 242 (1978). The Government's actions show that the Government is violating the spirit and the intent of FOIA.




Snippets from Legal Filings and Document Productions


In its second filing of its opening legal brief, the U.S. Attorney's Office opposed disclosure of all information responsive to the FOIA Request because, citing legal cases, the Government argued that ... "the public's right to information was not absolute" .... Gov't Br. at 10.


A reporter for Progress New York argued in rebuttal, stating that the Government could not withhold records, because former U.S. Attorney Bharara had complained, during the making of one speech, that ... "[T]here is a substantial transparency problem throughout New York [G]overnment." Flores Decl., Ex. O at USA-000887. The legal contortions being made by the U.S. Attorney's Office to justify the withholding of speech records contradict the spirit and intent of the language used by former U.S. Attorney Bharara in some of his public speeches. At the same speech, former U.S. Attorney Bharara justified his official duty to speak to the public by stating that, in relevant part, "[b]ecause public corruption in New York, from all the available evidence, appears pervasive and because it is more than a prosecutor's problem. Recent and not-so-recent events paint a fairly dismal portrait of the state of [G]overnment in the State of New York. It is a portrait of a show-me-the-money culture, as I have said before." Supra at USA-000879. Since former U.S. Attorney Bharara has a $1 million book deal, if the DOJ refuses to release all of the records of texts, prepared remarks, and transcripts of former U.S. Attorney Bharara's speeches, a reasonable person can assume that Defendant is permitting former U.S. Attorney Bharara to "cash in" on his Government office, not unlike the corrupt signficant Government officials his office has charged with corruption.


The U.S. Attorney's Office refuses to explain why, in filings with the District Court in the Government's first prosecution against former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Lower East Side), the speeches of then U.S. Attorney Bharara were made in his official capacity and "were consistent with the stated mission of the DOJ." U.S.A. v. Sheldon Silver, Gov't Opp. Mem. to DF's M. to Dismiss at 21. Yet, in the instant litigation, the Government contrarily claims "that public disclosure is not always in the public interest." Because FOIA is intended to help the public and the press to access open records in order to challenge and expose corruption, the Government cannot engage in duplicity by claiming in one Court filing that speech-making is an official act, but then claim in another Court filing that such records are exempt from disclosure. Former Assembly Speaker had moved in his first trial to dismiss the Indictment over claims that then U.S. Attorney Bharara's speeches had tainted ... "the grand jury, which returned an indictment in the midst of the media firestorm the Government created." That motion was defeated, but it is not known if that motion was refiled in the second trial. Because former Assembly Speaker Silver is appealing his conviction, Counsel for Defendant owes a professional responsibility and ethical duty to notify the tribunal in that appeal case of information that may affect the outcome of that appeal, even if the information is adverse to the Government's interests. If Defendant fails to notify the tribunal in that appeal, then Plaintiff has argued that the District Court must order sanctions against Counsel for Defendant and then make that notification to the tribunal in that appeal case.


Records produced by the DOJ show that the law firm Orrick was set to host a speech by then U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. Orrick has significant white collar criminal defense, securities litigation, and compliance practise groups, and that law firm ostensibly represented defendants in investigations by the Federal prosecutors' office formerly headed by the Nation's ex-top prosecutor.



EDITORIAL : To restore public confidence in the U.S. District Court for S.D.N.Y., Judge John Koeltl must resign


Judges and Justice officials must set the standard in public ethics in order to serve as a check on the executive and judicial branches of Government.


23 December 2018


It is not only the executive and legislative branches of Government that have become worrisome to anti-corruption activists. The judiciary has increasingly come under scrutiny. The Brooklyn U.S. District Court is referred to as the E.D.N.Y., and the Manhattan U.S. District Court is referred to as the S.D.N.Y. A Federal Judge on the bench of the S.D.N.Y. is particularly troubling. As reported by Progress New York and other news outlets, Judge John Koeltl has established a career that is fraught with conflicts of interest and accusations of judicial bias. Judge Koeltl has faced accusations of using extremism against activists and making prejudicial statements that are disqualifiable. Judge Koeltl arguably sent the now late activist attorney, Lynne Stewart, to an early grave after the judge increased her prison sentence at his sole discretion following an unusual request made by the Government. Judge Koeltl has also faced public criticism over showing bias to one party over another. Recently, Judge Koeltl was assigned to preside over the Democratic National Committee's frivolous lawsuit against WikiLeaks, and others, alleging collusion with the Russian Federation to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election (frivolous, because the DNC rigged the primaries against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Judge Koeltl also teaches at New York University, the notorious engine that produces élitism, gentrification, and displacement. Judge Koeltl has also, in the past, recused himself from cases where conflicts of interest were obvious, but he has only done so temporarily. His entire approach to professional ethics is situational.


Prosecutors work hand-in-hand with the Courts, where charges are filed and cases are tried. More and more, efforts to root out corruption from legal circles have faced institutional setbacks, even as at least some individuals have faced accountability. State Supreme Court Justice John Michalek (Erie County) pleaded guilty, amongst other charges, to accepting bribes. Efforts to hold prosecutors accountable for misconduct faced a set-back when the Cuomo administration settled a lawsuit seeking to create an oversight panel. Similar concerns exist on the Federal level. An ethics complaint was filed against at least one prosecutor in the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office, Rukhsanah Singh. Judges and Justice officials can also see their careers deteriorate. Chief Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann, in the E.D.N.Y., spent a career breaking through the glass ceiling only to join the Good Ole Boys' network ; now an establishment judge, she has issued recommendations that gut the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. Raymond Dearie, when he was the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, investigated criminals connected with the Parking Violations Bureau scandal. He now sits, as an E.D.N.Y. judge, on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, where he rubber stamps the Nation's non-stop requests to eavesdrop on citizens. His peer at the time, Rudolph Giuliani, then the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, also investigated corruption from that time then, and he led the prosecution of corrupt officials, including of then U.S. Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-The Bronx). Mr. Giuliani is now a shill-for-hire to President Donald Trump (R). Preet Bharara, who, as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, prosecuted former Assembly Speaker Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Skelos, is now allegedly engaged in unjust enrichment from his time in office. Some of those appearing at once so virtuous end up becoming corrupted by greed following public service. Other judges, like S.D.N.Y. Judge Deborah Batts, develop a reputation of entirely doing whatever the Government requests, according to information obtained by Progress New York. The work of U.S. Attorneys increasingly rests on the eroding integrity of each of prosecutors and the judiciary, raising questions about whether the Courts will ever serve as a check on prosecutors, much less on the Government, further casting doubts on the prestige vested, perhaps wrongly, in the U.S. District Courts in New York City.


There is a high opportunity cost to having bad judges on the bench. On the subject of transparency, as the Government has sought to gut the Federal open records law in litigation seeking to bring the Government into compliance with FOIA, for example, and Judge Koeltl's record would keep allowing the Government to gut FOIA. Judge Koeltl does this, either because he is too meek or to corrupt to uphold the rule of law. For the public to have faith in the judiciary working in partnership in Justice officials to hold accountable the executive and legislative branches of Government, the judiciary cannot tolerate misconduct or judicial bias, and that includes the appearance of the same. No amount of reasoning, or judicial complaints, has compelled Judge Koeltl to introspectively examine the causes or sources of his bias and misconduct. Landmark decisions get made from the S.D.N.Y., like in Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al., which ruled that the use by the New York Police Department of stop and frisk tactics was unconstitutional. Also, important decisions do not get made, like how the Courts have permitted the Government to block any attempt to use the Courts in the Second Circuit to articulate an inquiry or test for a claim that the Government is engaged in a pattern or practise of violating FOIA. Because a pending FOIA Lawsuit before Judge Koeltl seeks a pattern or practise hearing about the DOJ's violations of FOIA that Judge Koeltl has already indicated he will not hold ; because of past allegations of conflicts of interest, judicial bias, and disability ; and because of the real prospect of establishing dangerous jurisprudence as the new standard for the S.D.N.Y. on the cases on his docket, Judge Koeltl, now about 73 years old, must resign.






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Sunday, December 2, 2018

C'est Vrai : Week In Review : 02 December 2018


C'est Vrai : Week in Review : 02 December 2018


C'est Vrai : Week In Review




A newsletter by Progress New York


02 December 2018


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    • Daniel Dromm : New York City Council
      • The lobbying firm, Yoswein New York, Inc., which had been prominently promoting the troubled Brooklyn-Queens Connector, or BQX, a proposed streetcar service that would join the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts, has been lobbying the New York City Council on behalf of Amazon (dot) com Services, Inc., to secure for the giant online retailer a cloud computer services contract with the City of New York, according to online lobbying records published by the New York City Office of the City Clerk. Two principal targets of Amazon's lobbying have been Councilmembers Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge), chair of the Council contracts committee, and Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights). It is not known if the lobbying has led to an agreement or if the procurement contract being sought by Amazon was supposed to be part of the inducement that inspired the selection of Long Island City, Queens to host a second headquarters for Amazon. Amazon was using lobbying firm from BQX to lobby City Government for cloud computing services [Progress New York]

      • Amazon.com Inc. wants New York City as one of its new homes. It also wants the city as a bigger customer for its Amazon Web Services cloud services. Amazon Spends on Lobbying New York City on Cloud Services - WSJ [The Wall Street Journal]

      • In a report that contained no public comment by Councilmember Daniel Dromm, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced that the Council Finance Committee would hold a hearing to examine the Amazon deal. City Council prepares to take action against deal that brings Amazon to Long Island City [TimesLedger]


    • Corey Johnson : New York City Council
      • Corey Johnson said a package of 18 bills is intended to close loopholes and address abusive practices identified in The New York Times's recent series, "Unsheltered," which showed how some large landlords exploit New York's fragmented regulatory system to push apartments out of regulation. 18 Bills With One Goal: Bad-Landlord Crackdown [The New York Times]

      • Members of the New York City Council will host a trio of hearings to grill city officials and Amazon about the closed-door negotiations that led to the tech giant agreeing to build its second headquarters in Queens. New York City Council to Host Hearings on Amazon's Headquarters Deal [The Wall Street Journal]

      • Despite questions raised by Mark Peters over Mayor Bill de Blasio's motives in his firing as commissioner of the Department of Investigation, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson offered his support to Peters' replacement, Margaret Garnett, at a Monday hearing on her nomination. City Council Considers De Blasio Nominee for Department of Investigation [Gotham Gazette]


    • Eric Ulrich : New York City Council


    • Jimmy Van Bramer : New York City Council
      • State Sen. Michael Gianaris and City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who represent the neighborhood, are refusing the state's invitation to join a community advisory committee which will play a role in planning for Amazon's HQ2 campus around Anable Basin while having no veto power, because the "community advisory council is a thinly veiled attempt to present the Amazon development as a fait accompli." Van Bramer, Gianaris reject invite to join Amazon community advisory council [TimesLedger]

      • Amazon's decision to bring half of its planned HQ2 to Long Island City has New York politicians at odds. While some politicians — Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, among them — have welcomed Amazon with open arms, critics have decried the massive tax breaks and other incentives that were offered to the billion-dollar company. Amazon HQ2: Where politicians stand on Long Island City hub [amNewYork]

      • Both Councilmembers Jimmy Van Bramer and Jumaane Williams signed a letter last year, asking Amazon to come to New York but have come out against the deal since it was announced earlier this month. They charged that Mayor Bill de Blasio and Govenor Andrew Cuomo's decision to bring Amazon to the city was undemocratic. At rain-soaked rally in Long Island City, protesters vow to continue fight against Amazon HQ2 plan [qns.com]

      • ICYMI : City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said that the elected Council members of the body he leads will get "deference" but "no veto" on land use matters. "I try to get to a place of 'yes.'" On Land Use, Johnson Promises 'Deference' to Members But 'No Veto' [Gotham Gazette]



    • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez : Nancy Pelosi
      • Anya Parampil puts incoming Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in question, explaining how as a candidate for the democratic nomination, she billed herself as a "socialist" and "progressive" which represented the next generation of the party—only to sell out upon winning office. Anya documents how Ocasio-Cortez has been embraced by corporate democrats, like DNC Chair Tom Perez, offered glowing praise for war-mongering Senator John McCain, and more recently, endorsed Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. Daniel Haiphong, author of the upcoming book "American Exceptionalism and American Innocence", joins Anya to discuss his recent contribution to the Black Agenda Report which accuses Ocasio-Cortez running a PR stunt to help Pelosi. Ocasio-Cortez is a Progressive Fraud [RT America : YouTube]

      • ICYMI : Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in Nancy Pelosi's corner. Ocasio-Cortez supports Nancy Pelosi in House speaker race [The New York Post]


    • Carolyn Maloney : US House of Representatives
      • After U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, likely chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, discouraged talk of an immediate push to impeach President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said she was pushing likely House Oversight Committee chair, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, to probe the administration's decision to add a question about citizenship to the U.S. Census. Senior House Democrats Tap Brakes on Investigating Trump [The New York Times]



    • NYCHA : U.S. Attorney's Office
      • The package of taxpayer-funded incentives being offered to Amazon has reached ten figures ; this, as public housing residents face uninhabitable conditions. Ten Figures for Amazon's HQ2 — and Lead Poisoning, Mold, and No Heat for NYCHA's tenants [Progress New York]

      • Most WBAI listeners are quite aware of the disaster that is now NYC's public housing system, known as NYCHA -- widespread toxic mold, lead paint poisoning, broken hot water heaters and elevators...it goes on and on. This isn't something that happened over night -- it's in part the logical outcome of 20 years of neglect by consecutive Republican mayors, as well as big federal funding cuts. But our 'progressive' mayor, Bill de Blasio -- well into his second term -- is increasingly looking remarkably like Michael Bloomberg, when it comes to real estate in general, and especially when it comes to NYCHA. With me is friend-to-the-show, Louis Flores, who has been stalwart in his coverage of NYCHA. Louis Flores on NYCHA and Amazon [WBAI : Archive.org]


    • gentrification : New York City Council
      • Michael McKee argues against repeal of the Urstadt Law. Enacted in 1971, this law prevents the New York City Council from enacting stronger rent laws. CityViews : It is Time for Real Rent-Regulation Reform Across New York State [citylimits.org]

      • The consequences of Amazon could not be graver for residents who live in rent-regulated housing in the surrounding communities of Queens. To understand just how real and lasting the threat of displacement is for these tenants, look no further than the Brooklyn neighborhoods we serve in our work—from Williamsburg/Greenpoint, to Bushwick, and East New York. In the wake of such rapid displacement, tenant harassment in North Brooklyn neighborhoods has reached unprecedented levels. CityViews : Amazon Will Deliver More Displacement to NYC's Working Class [citylimits.org]


    • land use : New York City Council
      • To prevent possible delays or second-guessing of the undemoractic Amazon deal, Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed to bypass the City Council and the city's public land use process. Instead of handing billions in public subsidies to Amazon and other mega-corporations, New York should invest in cooperative, bottom-up economic development led by and directly benefiting people and communities of color, immigrants, and women – who are disproportionately harmed by our current unfair, extractive economy.CityViews : NYC Needs Equitable Economic Development, Not the Amazon Deal [citylimits.org]

      • On Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to push back against the Amazon backlash. But the project's opponents say that they are currently exploring every option they can to block, slow, or alter the government's deal with Amazon. Do Amazon's Opponents Have Any Hope Of Stopping Queens Campus? [Gothamist]

      • Another former City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, has announced that she will not run, which opens up a lane for Melissa Mark-Viverito to go after the women's vote. Mark-Viverito, Ex-Council Speaker Who Gentrified Spanish Harlem, to Run for Public Advocate [The New York Times]

      • New York's real estate community is fighting a measure backed by the city's hotel workers' union that would make it more difficult to build new properties in certain areas. The measure would restrict new hotel development in areas that are currently zoned for light manufacturing. Hotel Developers Fight NYC Proposal That Would Reduce New Building [The Wall Street Journal]

      • The new dynamics of power in Albany, and the timing of key decision-making processes in the city itself, will make next year a pivotal one for affordability in New York. From Rent Regs to Rezonings, 2019 Will Feature Key Housing Policy Fights [citylimits.org]





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