Mr. President, I write this urgent letter to you. In New York City there is a municipal entity called the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). It is home to some 650,000 human beings–a large number of whom actually voted for you. Many NYCHA residents voted for you because they were witness to the destructive public housing policies your opponent [Hilary Clinton] and her husband [former President Bill Clinton] enforced during their eight-year stay in the White House during the 1990’s.
NYCHA was created in the 1930’s by then New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia who is on record as saying there shall forever be public housing for successive generations of poor people. NYCHA was built with the intention of being cities within a city. NYCHA originally had its own parks, playgrounds, parking lots, staff, community centers and it even once had its own 2,700 officer NYCHA Police Department.
Millions of people grew up poor, yet nobody looked at them as likely criminals or societal burdens to be swept away. Over time political attacks on poor people became de rigueuer. Today it’s a whole new ballgame. Attacks on poor people have become political theater. Real estate developers have been seen walking thru NYCHA developments with shopping lists in hand salivating at the possibilities.
NYCHA properties have become eye candy for real estate interests. The overall portfolio of NYCHA properties is waffling under the weight of huge repair needs. NYCHA officials continue to upwardly adjust the NYCHA repair bill from $9 billion to $17 billion to today they assert the repair bill is $34 billion. Those ever-increasing estimates have been put forth by NYCHA over the past year in an effort to justify the selling of NYCHA land. Indeed the city, state and federal government disinvestment in NYCHA over the past decade is well pronounced. Horrid living conditions abound; broken boilers, lead paint, leaking roofs, peeling paint, broken windows–the lists is endless. NYCHA is under full scale and unrelenting assault with no end in sight. The self-appointed civil rights leaders and putative civil rights organizations remain silent on NYCHA issues.
Elected public officials have been marching into NYCHA developments with their real estate cronies thru out New York City. All manner of scams has resulted in these elected public officials giving away NYCHA playgrounds, parking lots and walkways to these real estate developers who are building hi-rise, hi-income, privately-owned buildings. One cannot give away that which don’t belong to them. Mayor LaGuardia stated: NYCHA belongs to current and future poor people.
Examples of suspect real estate deals abound: Look at Fort Greene Projects–at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Saint Edwards Place. A middle of the night private deal resulted in an NYCHA playground being stolen and given away to private real estate interests who are currently erecting a 17-story building next to six-story NYCHA buildings.
A short distance away another impending real estate scam would steal a NYCHA parking lot at 202 Tillary Street and permit private real estate interests to erect 33 and 40 story buildings on NYCHA grounds. New York City government officials have filed with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) documents, I believe are full of felony perjury statements. New York City officialdom in seeking HUD’s permission to sell off the 202 Tillary Street environs, falsely stated that there are no environmental issues involved in erecting 33 and 40 story buildings (on NYCHA land). That is laughable on its face, For over a decade NYC officialdom has in hundreds of legal filings stated the every building construction involves per se environment issues. It’s utterly shocking that now all of a sudden there are no environmental issues with these two proposed buildings–all in a rush to avoid the legally mandated environmental review. There are many different scams ongoing to systematically steal NYCHA land and hand it over to private real estate interests.
New York City is overwhelmingly controlled by the Democratic Party; the Democrats have spent the past three years attacking and blaming all of America’s problems on YOU. This is intellectually dishonest and a clear smokescreen to block out the fact that the Democrats preside over a City with 65,000 people living in homeless shelters. Democrats cut NYCHA’s budget. Democrats have failed NYCHA. Democrats have and are continuing to cut NYCHA up into little pieces and give it away. Please give NYCHA residents credit for being able to see this for what it is.
I ask you to step up and immediately STOP all selling off of NYCHA land. I ask you to visit NYCHA developments. If NYCHA living conditions were shown to exist in a foreign country, we would hear calls to send in massive amounts of aid. NYCHA residents will be very grateful to you for any help you can give. NYCHA residents will support your reelection if you step up and stop the selling off of NYCHA and improve living conditions. NYCHA residents have a long history of voting for Republicans in City, State and federal elections over the past two decades. They clearly know the Democrats have failed NYCHA and will gladly accept your help.
