Last night, in the face of virulent protests from her harshest critics, City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo delivered her State of the District Address at the Ingersoll Community Center, 177 Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene.
“I want to thank you,” said Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights), “because you believed in me. You believed in the promises that I made, and today I am going to show that promises have been kept.”
At 6 p.m., Cumbo took the stage to deliver her third annual State of the District Address, taking plenty of time to revel in all that she had accomplished during her term as councilwoman, particularly within the past year.
Her address included a slideshow presentation of her 100 proudest achievements as councilwoman, such as creating the first-ever Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence, and securing $200,000 in funds for an upgraded computer lab for Brooklyn Tech High School.
During her speech, representatives from social groups like the New York Community for Change (NYCC) congregated outside the building – not to congratulate Cumbo, but to take her to task over her stance on the contentious Bedford Union Armory project. As Cumbo spoke, chants of, “BFC – Bad For Crown Heights!” and, “Kill the deal, for real!” echoed just outside the center’s doors.
The protestors argued that, by not opposing the deal, Cumbo has shown a flagrant disregard for the neighborhood’s most pressing need: affordable housing.
“Of the 330 units, only a few will be affordable to the Crown Heights community,” said NYCC Member Vaughn Armour. “And I don’t think that Laurie Cumbo should be a part of the gentrification process.”
The protestors contested Cumbo’s claim that a large portion of the complex will consist of affordable housing. The problem, they say, is that the housing units will be priced according to the Area Median Income (AMI) of the city, rather than the neighborhood, making them unaffordable for the majority of Crown Heights residents.
“I’m a single parent with six kids on a fixed income,” said Crown Heights resident Rachel Rivera. “I don’t make what they call the ‘affordable threshold.’”
Earlier that day, Cumbo held a press conference at Borough Hall, during which she expressed her dissatisfaction with the current state of the project. During the State of the District Address, part of Cumbo’s speech was dedicated to elaborating on her position and addressing the protestors’ criticisms. She admitted that the deal, as it stands now, does not properly accommodate the needs of the Crown Heights community, and she promised that she will do everything in her power to make sure that it does.
“As your councilmember, I cannot support a project with luxury condominiums as its backbone in our community,” said Cumbo.
During the latter half of the evening, Rev. Dr. Mark V.C. Taylor of the Church of the Open Door took the stage to vouch for Cumbo’s courage in confronting Mayor Bill de Blasio, noting that he was, “incredibly proud to see her stand up and fight like that.”
But Cumbo’s words failed to impress the Armory’s staunchest opponents.
“She’s not killing the deal,” said Armour. “She’s saying, ‘I don’t like it the way it is.’ She isn’t saying that she wants it taken down.”
Regardless, Cumbo made it clear that she’s proud of the work she’s done for the district so far, and she maintains that the Bedford Union Armory project, while deeply flawed, can still be salvaged.
“As a councilmember, I’m continuing to fight for you,” said Cumbo. “And I’m continuing to make sure that we advance the best possible project forward.”
