Somehow it’s already December, which means the holidays are officially here. As we contemplate about everything that happened in 2017 and start to think about our goals for 2018, we want to thank you for your support! We’re grateful for your generosity on #GivingTuesday, but also throughout our 53 years in the community.
BK Reader: City Council Passes ‘Certificate of No Harassment’ to Safeguard NYC Tenants
The CONH pilot program will first focus on recently rezoned or soon-to-be-rezoned NYC neighborhoods and other neighborhoods identified as vulnerable, including Bushwick and Bed-Stuy. Under the new law, building owners seeking to demolish or make significant alterations to buildings in these targeted areas will have to prove that they have not engaged in harassment before they can receive the permits from the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB).
New York Daily News: City Council approves Brooklyn’s Bedford-Union Armory project
Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo struck a deal to make major changes to the project — scrapping plans for condos, and lowering the rents for apartments designated as affordable housing. There will now be 400 apartments on the city-owned site, 250 of them with income limits and rent rangsing from about $521 to $1,166.
Bklyner: Bushwick Landlords Pay $132,000 Settlement for Tenant Harassment
“Tenants should never feel harassed into vacating their homes,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “This settlement makes clear that we will aggressively enforce the law to protect tenants from those who seek to put profit before New Yorkers’ rights — and we’ll continue to fight for the tougher state laws we need to criminally crack down on tenant harassment.
New York Times: A Tired Brooklyn Transit Hub Is Finally Getting Attention
The focus on Broadway Junction comes as more people are living in the city than ever before, and once industrial areas have attracted newcomers displaced by rising rents in Manhattan and elsewhere. In the past decade, development has spread across Brooklyn, raising concerns about gentrification among some residents.
Curbed NY: Fort Greene Park’s $5M revamp gets LPC approval
Last week, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans put forth by the YC Parks Department to modify the entrances and pathways at Fort Greene Park. The $5 million upgrade is part of the city’s Parks Without Borders program and concentrates on sprucing up the park’s basketball courts, barbecue stations, and sidewalks, while also making accessibility and lighting improvements.
Shelterforce: How Organizing for Justice Helps Your Mental Health
It was an organization where people actually decided the agenda, and not just the agenda for a meeting, but the agenda of the campaign, or whatever they were doing. Organizations that had a set agenda, and people were followers, so to speak, didn’t do that for people in the same way that the grassroots organization did.
