Protest against Zohram Mamdani at Astoria to save NYCHA from RAD/PACT privatisation and demolition in Chelsea

No trust in Zohran : Columbia race lies and NYCHA privatised !

NYCHA residents and activists first protested outside of Zohran Mamdani’s rent-regulated apartment building in Astoria, Queens.

New York State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (DSA-Astoria) is the latest of a long line of New York City politicians, who ignore the decades of racist divestment of New York City public housing, leading to a proverbial demolition by neglect. Public housing residents have sought to put the RAD/PACT privatisation and demolition on the social agenda. Specifically, Mamdani’s family owned a luxury loft across the street from Elliott-Chelsea, now which faces demolition in an upward transfer of wealth to MAGA billionaire Stephen Ross. But Mamdani has deliberately ignored the plight of public housing residents facing forced relocation.

Residents, activists, and allies of saving New York City Housing Authority scheduled the protest outside of Mamdani’s apartment building to briefly occupy space outside his residential apartment after it became apparent that Mamdani was betraying the socialist democrat sensibility about keeping strategic, public assets in the public sector. Mamdani has an obligation to defend public housing from privatisation, but he remains silent as a prétexte to enable controversial public-private partnerships.

Organisers behind the protest have a demonstrated record of engaging in non-violent, direct action. However, the Mamdani campaign dispatched multiple goons to deflect form the Democratic Party’s complicity in the neglect and surrender of public housing to some of the most wealthiest participants in New York’s real estate development industry.

The DSA/WFP/PSL supporters of Mamadani’s controversial mayoral campaign repeated harassed and menaced NYCHA public housing residents, activists, and allies.

Has Zohran Mamdani betrayed NYCHA ? It seems so. We protested in Astoria to save NYC public housing.

One of Mamdani’s neighbors repeatedly shot the middle finger at public housing residents in an open display of hostility and aggression. He would later wave his hands in the face of one of the public housing allies in an attempt to incite violence, escalate tensions, and enflame passions. The hostile neighbor with anger issues repeated referred to one of the public housing allies as a “piece of sh!t.” An NYPD security detail intervened and removed the hostile neighbor from our protest.

Other Mamdani supporters demanded that public housing residents leave the public sidewalk of their gentrified (code word for White) block in Astoria. The racism, classism, and sexism was apparent : all trademarks of the bike lanes bro culture of the NYCDSA, the Working Families Party, and Party for Socialism and Liberation.

NYCHA residents and activists next protested outside of Zohran Mamdani’s Assembly district office, also in Astoria.

Following our peaceful protest, some of our activists travelled to Mamdani’s Assembly district office, also in Astoria, for an impromptu protest.

After our protest, some NYCHA tenants went to Mamdani’s district office in Astoria, where a separate protest was held by Jason Murillo, a City Council candidate.

At that follow-up protest, Mamdani’s office employees locked the doors to the entrance, preventing protesters from asking for a meeting about NYCHA.  The protesters were warned that they would face arrest if they attempted to enter the office to speak with the staff of a mayoral candidate.  

Two months ago, Mamdani held a secret, backroom meeting with Big Business élites in an attempt to gain their support for his collaborationist campaign for New York City mayor. But Mamdani didn’t have the courage to look public housing residents in the eye and tell them that he was prepared to sell them out in exchange for money and power. How very Democratic Party of him.

Bill de Blasio agrees to meeting with Fight For NYCHA, Fulton tenants, and U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez

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Bill de Blasio was confronted with two options to fully-fund NYCHA : (i). The People’s Budget, and (ii). the Public Housing Emergency Response Act (H.R.4546)

At Mayor Bill de Blasio’s disastrous NYCHA town hall in Chelsea on Thursday, 19 déc 2019, the Mayor was confronted with two options to fully-fund NYCHA : (i) the People’s Budget that proposes new taxes on the rich to fund new Government policy on housing, justice, and dignity for all New Yorkers, and (ii). U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s bill, the Public Housing Emergency Response Act (H.R.4546).

Fight For NYCHA have reached out to the office of U.S. Rep. Velázquez to schedule a meeting with Mayor de Blasio.

Read the People’s Budget

NYCHA Tenants, Activists Held A Press Conference, Protesting the Lack of Democracy of, and the Exclusion of Many from, de Blasio’s NYCHA Working Group

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.

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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.

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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.

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Complete Facebook Live video

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.

Press Conference and Protest of NYCHA Working Group at PS 33

The NYCHA Working Group is corrupt !

Please join us for a press conference and protest outside the next NYCHA Working Group.

Mayor de Blasio has empaneled a rigged and stacked NYCHA working group to determine the future of Fulton, Chelsea, and Elliott Houses. But this working group has purposely excluded tenants from Holmes Towers, Cooper Park, Wyckoff Gardens, LGA Houses, and Harborview — even though infill has been planned at those developments.

Date : Tues., 29-Oct-2019
Time : 5:30 pm
Place : PS 33, 281 9th Ave., Manhattan
RSVP : Press Conference and Protest of NYCHA Working Group [Facebook]

What is more, Fight For NYCHA has discovered that Mayor de Blasio has instituted a gag rule, meaning that the discussions of the NYCHA working group will be kept 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.

Fight For NYCHA raised the issue of legality to these proceedings at first working group, since any disposition of City real property must be subject to the ULURP process.

Please join Fight For NYCHA in demanding to attend and be heard at the second meeting of the NYCHA working group.

Union Square Rally to build public support for a People’s Budget approach to fully-fund NYCHA

This is a City-wide rally to demonstrate support for a grassroots approach to fully-funding the New York City Hosing Authority, or NYCHA. Fight For NYCHA consulted with tenants and passed the People’s Budget for Housing, Justice, and Dignity during a Town Hall meeting at P.S. 33 in Chelsea on Sept. 18. The People’s Budget demonstrates that funding for public housing is reasonable, within reach, and some of these ideas are legislation-ready.

DATE : Sunday, Oct 6, 2019
TIME : 1 pm
PLACE : Union Square Park, Manhattan
RSVP : Stop the War on the Poor [Facebook]

The immediate emergency is to take $10 billion that Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to use to build new jails and, instead, to redirect that money to public housing.

Fulton Houses tenants hold protest to stop demolition, RAD conversion

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Fulton Housing tenants are receiving scary letters from elected officials at the same time NYCHA is offering them buy-outs to leave their apartments.

A group of corporate Democrats, ranging from U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY 10), Borough President Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea), New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Chelsea), and New York Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (D-Chelsea), co-signed a letter to New York City Housing Authority Interim Chair and CEO Kathryn Garcia, asking that NYCHA consult with Fulton Houses tenants about plans announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City) to demolish two apartment buildings and to put up majority market-rate luxury apartment buildings on the site of Fulton Houses.

Activists have warned Fulton Houses tenants that the consultation is a trap, since none of the public officials have neither publicly opposed the demolition of public housing buildings, nor publicly opposed the RAD conversion of public housing. Under RAD, public housing is put into the hands of private landlords, thereby turning public housing into a for-profit business. A consultation without opposition to the Mayor de Blasio’s plan would count toward the approval of Mayor de Blasio’s plan.

Following the protest, Fulton Houses Tenant President Miguel Acevedo was confronted about his refusal to forcefully oppose the demolition and RAD conversion of Fulton Houses. He changed his story at least 37 different times, according to a video of one part of the exchange.