hakeem - Blogs - TheBlackList Pub2024-03-29T07:26:32Zhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/hakeemThe Presidential Debates Are Over; President Obama Won! Now It's Time to Really Get to Work: MESSAGE FROM CONGRESSWOMAN YVETTE D. CLARKEhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/the-presidential-debates-are-over-president-obama-won-now-it-s2012-10-24T21:48:15.000Z2012-10-24T21:48:15.000ZGloria Dulan-Wilsonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/GloriaDulanWilson<div><div class="gmail_quote"><br /><p><i><span style="color:#993300;"><b>The Presidential Debates Are Over; President Obama Won! Now It's Time to Really Get to Work: MESSAGE FROM CONGRESSWOMAN YVETTE D. CLARKE</b></span></i></p><p>By Gloria Dulan-Wilson</p><p> I know you have all been following with great interest the Presidential debates between President Barack Obama and Mitt-Twit Romney. Now that the last debate has been held, with a decisive victory under the President's belt, it's time to go to the next level. We've got less than two weeks until the national election takes place. And we have to make sure we stay informed and keep our neighbors, relatives and friends informed as well.</p><p>I just received this from Congresswoman Yvette Clarke that should be of interest to you - especially those of us in the New York City area, since we've been devastated by the redistricting (read gerrymandering) that's occurred over past year and a half.</p><p></p><p>And if you're fortunate enough to have Congresswoman Clarke as your representative, or Congressman-to-be Hakeem Jeffries, or Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez, in Brooklyn; Congressman Charles Rangel in Harlem; Congressman Gregory Meeks in Queens - as well as other Black and white Democratic congressional candidates either running for office or re-election in other states. Not only are 23 SEATS UP FOR GRABS, we want to make sure we send back those who are already incumbents as well.</p><p><i><font color="#990000"><font size="5"><b>We have double work to do RE-ELECT PRESIDENT OBAMA, AND GET A DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE</b></font></font></i>. </p><p>Congresswoman Clarke's message follows:</p><p>--- On <b>Mon, 10/22/12, Yvette D. Clarke</b> wrote:</p><p><font color="#660000"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><b><font size="5">KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!!!</font></b></font></font></p><p></p><p></p><div align="left"><p></p></div><p></p><table style="width:600px;" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><a href="http://images.myngp.com/LinkTracker.aspx?crypt=IVi0ax2%2B6UBSinc%2FCPYaKYH3ymyv1BGaCvWEi2HDfuAJYUjO1vmN2fgwjlJPW%2B%2BZnm2r6R6R58VqCqCRiBTWVcoVLyJ0deMb8dN8DNHTTc8%3D" target="_blank"><img alt="Yvette D. Clarke for Congress" src="https://www.myngp.com/BCEImages/UploadImages/1400/f7cd3de5-ccd7-460c-8d39-6edf85f31d9a.jpg" title="Yvette D. Clarke for Congress" border="0" /></a></center></td></tr></tbody></table><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">Dear Gloria:</font><br /></font></p><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman">We are just two weeks away from the Presidential Election on November 6. Clarke for Congress is reaching out to make sure our supporters and constituents are prepared to go to the polls.</font></p><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman">First, make sure you are properly listed in the voter registry. This is especially important for folks who recently registered to vote. Check your voter registration status at: <a href="http://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/" target="_blank">http://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/</a>. </font> <font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman">Second, make sure you go to the correct polling site. As a result of re-districting, your polling site may have been changed. This is also an important step for persons who have submitted changes of address to the Board of Elections. Check for your polling place at: <a href="http://images.myngp.com/LinkTracker.aspx?crypt=IVi0ax2%2B6UBSinc%2FCPYaKcw12LN0fvdoZaU9KRtK76LRNB4iWdqrfroeFQ5n%2Fh%2BPZFjoQXPLEz%2BACOaXhy2ufiv4ef2MIFAh3XDRRqKzHu%2FJYdyW2fVxCyUz2hlcIb2T" target="_blank">http://gis.nyc.gov/vote/ps/index.<font>htm</font>.</a> </font></p><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">If you are registered to vote, but want to request an absentee ballot, first ensure that you are eligible to do so. You are eligible to vote absentee in New York if you are:<br /></font></font></p><ul><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">Inevitably absent from your county on Election Day.</font></font></li><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">Unable to appear at the polls on Election Day due to illness or disability.</font></font></li><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">A patient at a Veterans’ Administration Hospital.</font></font></li><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">Detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony</font></font></li></ul><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">If you meet any of the previous criteria, you can download and complete the New York Absentee Ballot Application at: <a href="http://www.longdistancevoter.org/files/voter_forms/NewYork_absentee_english.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.longdistancevoter.org/files/voter_forms/NewYork_absentee_english.pdf</a> </font></font></p><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">Please note the following deadlines for obtaining an absentee ballot:</font></font></p><ul><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;"> Oct. 30 - Last day to postmark an application or letter of application <font style="text-decoration:underline;"><i><b>BY MAIL</b></i></font> for an absentee ballot.</font></font></li><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;"> Nov. 5 - Last day to apply <font style="text-decoration:underline;"><i><b>IN-PERSON</b></i></font> for an absentee ballot.</font></font></li><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;"> Nov. 5 - Last day to postmark ballot. Must be received by the local board of elections no later than Nov. 13. Military Voter Ballots must be received no later than Nov. 19.</font></font></li><li><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">Nov. 6 - Last day to deliver ballot <i><font style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>IN-PERSON</b></font></i> to the local board of elections (by someone other than the voter).</font></font></li></ul><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">This is a very important election; don't let others decide your fate. Take the necessary steps to ensure your franchise; volunteer for your favorite candidates (I hope I'm one of them!); and on Election Day make sure you take as many friends, family members and neighbors as you can to the polls with you. YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE!!</font></font></p><p><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:16px;">Moving Forward Together,</font></font></p><p> <font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"><font style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:normal;"><img alt="Yvette Clarke Signature" src="https://www.myngp.com/BCEImages/UploadImages/1400/b738d7ca-ca45-4b70-b6ae-f2988a21c36f.jpg" title="Yvette Clarke Signature" height="65" width="105" /></font></font></p><p> Paid for by Clarke for Congress</p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><p><font style="font-size:16px;"><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Georgia"><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman"> </font></font></font></p></div><p> <a href="http://images.myngp.com/LinkTracker.aspx?crypt=IVi0ax2%2B6UDLpC3olJXC48%2Fv%2FtqtQFGd1pYD7HCwFY6cLDeH7plfweSCOUD3b7%2BTOi%2FuQC6cVGOAYPHw4BpKsfjf%2BjAR8Nv%2BsR9N%2FCerQ9ejg1asWueDDiMmmlvRoCjoIUfDoAQqlB81RBfjq1%2BauuzGnnWf83k9rbHoJm66kQS06RI3%2BO4BvPwR%2FGwLwG8%2BGI451fZbB4g%2FGI%2BQwGc9K1XH2Awlkt7Dnq1dsHVUo%2BI%3D" target="_blank"><font style="font-size:16px;"><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Georgia"><font style="font-size:16px;"><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Georgia"><font style="font-size:16px;" face="Times New Roman">CONTRIBUTE</font></font></font></font></font></a></p><p></p><center><font color="#C0C0C0" face="Arial" size="1">P.O. Box 250200<br />Brooklyn, NY 11225</font></center><p><img src="http://images.myngp.com/images/newtracker.aspx?CampaignID=1400&MailID=62896632" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="newtracker.aspx?CampaignID=1400&MailID=62896632" /></p><table align="center"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><p><a href="http://images.myngp.com/LinkTracker.aspx?crypt=IVi0ax2%2B6UDLpC3olJXC457kkjv9LkTjvDXRuLbXMKT3SLPHL8f66seeqvDN0HKv0yZtvicTJBHji0Rx3fpXm%2Fh2PIGbpA56ZmM8ZFXvbp1NGeD8qcDsppJfQufYNAiOzxIBc4593%2BZuCFcHPpMyihlIjFxVdLd904gR6fy1V6uNWGvKouCnHhazINJZZI6FMlucoZNsqG9skfS5v%2FYqLMHKF6o9A%2FRsFfqLeY6prKM0wGI%2BcpnzjnGehATTruMgkKU8rtBQiPo%3D" target="_blank"><font style="font-variant:small-caps;" color="#696969" face="Verdana" size="1"><img alt="Forward this message to a friend" src="https://www.myngp.com/broadcast/images/fwdbutton.gif" border="0" height="28" width="145" /></font></a></p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p><font style="font-variant:small-caps;" color="#696969" face="Verdana" size="1">To unsubscribe from this mailing list, click <a href="http://images.myngp.com/LinkTracker.aspx?crypt=IVi0ax2%2B6UBSinc%2FCPYaKYRb7nJwUTqAdkVV5jnwolBsNyHdRvID%2BwEHO5DKXM8qtfmlTP%2BK12uT6yYEujE922TsZUPKXz7Uoo6Bli9Bw3koX%2FCOcfW4axMR5oRtnXJXA%2FcCI6jDEhHMPOkwQic0SQ4D4BU5TbO3YuMjdRb06Vz7G1sG4usFVcCL5V%2F79%2FeI5JUE1Gkg4k5ePBT3AeJ13Q%3D%3D" target="_blank">here</a></font></p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p><font style="font-variant:small-caps;" color="#696969" face="Verdana" size="1">Powered by <a href="http://images.myngp.com/LinkTracker.aspx?crypt=IVi0ax2%2B6UBSinc%2FCPYaKdzn%2FWO5xRpchVp1UnzNaiP2e5kW1FUPlQcoI2FpbP2RJ%2BDUUYtaSapUwoIrvZN4a8w22Jo6Bbmc" target="_blank">NGP VAN, Inc.</a></font></p></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align:left;"><p> Now, as you already know, I, Gloria Dulan-Wilson, am unabashedly part of the partisan press; I chose sides and have opinions. It's for this reason that I have this blog. So there should be no doubt in your minds that I support Yvette D. Clarke wholeheartedly to be re-elected to Congress; as well as the election of Hakeem Jeffries for Congress. These are Brooklynites. </p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>But California, Florida, Chicago, and other areas are also facing major challenges with redistricting as well. The sum total is to decimate the long held majority African Americans have held in their communities for decades.</p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p></p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>It's up to each of you to keep apace of what the changes are in your own districts. With the move toward voter nullification being pushed by the rep-ugh-blicans, we have to be twice as vigilant and twice as informed as usual. Lines have been redrawn, polling places have been moved. Our seniors may need transportation to the polls; or we may need to take the ballots to them so they can likewise vote. This is the time to make this happen, get the vans and drivers mobilized; bet the ballots to the sick and shut in who would otherwise be able to vote, ahead of time so they can be counted with the rest of the ballots. </p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p></p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>If you don't already have an organization you're affiliated with, in New York you can check with Harlem4 Obama's Chet Whye (<a href="mailto:chetwhye@harlem4obama.com" target="_blank">chetwhye@harlem4obama.com</a>); or Bedstuy For Obama (<a href="mailto:cornegyr@yahoo.com" target="_blank">cornegyr@yahoo.com</a>); or <a href="http://www.ofa.org" target="_blank">www.ofa.org</a>; moveOn.org; or check with your locally elected officials to find out where you can volunteer your services. Churches can assist by offering their vans to transport those who have difficulties in getting around back and forth to the polls. This is the time when we should all be pulling together to make sure that there are absolutely no mistakes made. </p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p></p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>We should definitely not take for granted the evil intent on the part of the <b><font color="#990000">rep-ugh-blican party (and the three Evil R's Rove, Ryan and Romney)</font></b> to deprive us of our civil, economic, political, and educational rights. Like the brothers and sisters who stood up for us to make sure that we have the right to vote, it's up to us to stand for ourselves and defend our rights to vote across the board.</p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p></p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>When the announcement says <font color="#990000"><b>'VOTE LIKE YOUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT"</b></font> you had best believe, it does.</p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>Pass the info from Congresswoman Clarke on to friends, family, associates and enemies. And make sure that when November 6,2012 comes along, you each have 1 undecided person with you going to the polls to vote for President Barack Obama.</p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>Stay Blessed &amp;</p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>ECLECTICALLY BLACK</p></div><div style="text-align:left;"><p>Gloria Dulan-Wilson</p></div><br /> <br /><br clear="all" />STAY BLESSED</div></div>BLOOMIE asking developers to test tiny apartments??? Then make Bloomberg live in those tiny apartments first!!!https://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/bloomie-asking-developers-to-test-tiny-apartments-then-make2012-07-13T05:00:00.000Z2012-07-13T05:00:00.000ZGloria Dulan-Wilsonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/GloriaDulanWilson<div><p><span class="font-size-4"><strong><span style="color:#993300;">ECLECTICALLY BLACK NEWS FOR ECLECTIC BLACK PEOPLE</span></strong></span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><strong><span style="color:#993300;">VIEWS INTERESTS PERSPECTIVES ~<br /></span></strong></span></p><p>By Gloria Dulan-Wilson ~</p><p> In a recent article on Yahoo's newspage, Bloomberg apparently is underwriting some sort of study to persuade developers come up with homes less than 425 square feet in size, actually going down to as small as 325 square feet. </p><p>How stupid can you get!! If they do develop tiny apartments, make sure that Mayor Mike Bloomberg and those assinine planners have to live in them too. With all the warehousing of buildings; with the overpricing of rentals and purchases, those are the things they need to be addressing, not shortchanging New Yorkers with coffin sized boxes instead of homes.</p><p>Tell Bloomies' developer cronies to get up off the properties they are holding - that's the answer to 99% of the housing problem in New York; the other side of the coin are landlords who want half your soul to live in them; and are asking for criteria that eliminates more than half of the eligible renters in the city; and a bogus rent guidelines board that is more intent in lining their pockets than providing decent, safe affordable homes for their tenants. They increase the rent and lower the standards and services. Make Bloomberg live in a 400 square foot home for a year. If he does it, then perhaps the rest of the city will consider it. </p><h3 class="western"></h3><ul><li><p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/u-s--slideshow/photo-provided-york-mayors-office-mayor-michael-bloomberg-photo-222511215.html" target="_blank"><font color="#000080"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qpMNsSxtc4ZrOfKbfHtsPQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MTkzNDtjcj0xO2N3PTI5MDA7ZHg9MDtkeT0wO2ZpPXVsY3JvcDtoPTEyNztxPTg1O3c9MTkw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/b9ed73bb3ad4e613140f6a7067008d71.jpg" name="graphics7" alt="In this photo provided by the New York Mayor's office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, stands with Amanda Burden, left, Department of City Planning Director, and Commissioner Mathew Wambua, Department of Housing Preservation and Development, in the kitchenette area of a full-scale mockup of a 300 square foot apartment on Monday, July 9, 2012 in New York. The city is asking developers to propose ways to build such tiny units in the hopes of changing city code to accommodate cash-strapped singles and couples. (AP Photo/New York Mayor's Office, Edward Reed, Handout)" id="graphics7" align="bottom" border="1" height="127" width="190" /></font></a></p><p>Source: Yahoo News</p></li></ul><p>The article starts out innocently enough. Written by Associated Press' Samantha Gross, the headlines read that Bloomberg was requesting (coercing?) developers come up with smaller apartments instead of the regular full sized, good quality apartments New York was once known for.</p><p>“<font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i>Maybe it's the urban dwelling of the future: studio apartments measuring no more than 300 square feet. New York City planners believe the tiny units could be the answer to a growing population of singles and two-person households. And in a nation that's becoming increasingly populous and increasingly urbanized — and where people more frequently are creating a family of one — such downsizing may not stop here.</i></font></p><p><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i>Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday invited developers to propose ways to turn a Manhattan lot into an apartment building filled mostly with what officials are calling "micro-units" — dwellings complete with a bathroom, built-in kitchenette and enough space for a careful planner to use a fold-out bed as both sleeping space and living room.</i> <font color="#800000"><span style="font-style:normal;"><b>(just barely bigger than a coffin for two)</b></span></font></font></p><p><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i>If the pilot program is successful, officials could ultimately overturn a requirement established in 1987 that new apartments here be at least 400 square feet. <font color="#800000"><b>(</b></font></i><font color="#800000"><span style="font-style:normal;"><b>They'd like that, wouldn't they? Then then can really stick it to the populace, while charging cutthroat prices!!)</b></span></font></font></p><p><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i><b>"City planners envision a future in which the young, the cash-poor and empty nesters flock to such small dwellings — each not much bigger than a dorm room. In a pricey real estate market where about one-third of renter households spend more than half their income on rent, it could make housing more affordable." (</b></i><b><span style="color:#993300;">Really?? Then we need some new city planners!!)</span></b><i><b><br /></b></i></font></p><p><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i><b>"Manhattan is the U.S. capital of solo living, with 46.3 percent of households consisting of one person, according to the 2010 census." <font color="#800000">(</font></b></i><font color="#800000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style:normal;"><b>that's primarily because people have either been pushed out of or priced out of living here – think about it!</b></span></font></font><b><font size="3"><span style="font-style:normal;">) "</span></font><i>City officials estimate that <u>76 percent of residents on the island live alone or with one other person — and such households are growing faster around the city than any other type of living situation. Officials attribute the trend in part to young professionals delaying both marriage and childbearing."</u></i></b></font></p><p>“<i>Around the country, more people are living alone than ever before. The solo living rate rose to almost 27 percent in 2010, according to the census. In New York City, where long working hours can leave little time for home life, renters often sacrifice square footage to save money. The size of city apartments has been lampooned on television, with at least one sitcom showing characters living — literally — in a closet. Some New Yorkers, desperate for storage space and uninterested in the finer points of homemaking, turn their ovens into storage for clothes or other items</i>. (<font color="#800000"><b>Interesting how they are building a rationale for suckering people into moving into a closet. I guess you can hype anything when you've made up your mind to sucker people into taking less.</b></font></p><p><i>"Especially alone, paying New York City rents can be a challenge — and officials said they hoped smaller apartments would help ease the financial burden on residents facing average market-rate rents of $2,000 per month for a studio and $2,700 per month for a one-bedroom."</i> <font color="#800000"><b>(Ridiculous isn't it? And you have a bogus rent board that keeps sticking it to New Yorkers because landlords are facing 'hardships!! Now exactly what kind of hardship can they be facing - they are averaging $1000+ a month per unit, per building.)</b></font></p><p><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i>"Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Mathew Wambua said he expected the micro-units would rent for significantly less."</i></font> <span style="color:#993300;">(<font color="#800000">And if that's the case, I have some serious questions about Wambua's position as commissioner)</font></span></p><p><em>"Similar programs have been proposed in other cities. In San Francisco, developers are seeking permission to rent out apartments as small as 150 square feet. Ultimately, the New York City program could be expanded to outer-borough neighborhoods where the apartments could provide safer options to the lower-income residents who are most at risk from the dangers of illegal subdivisions. (<strong><span style="color:#993300;">watch out outer boroughs, they're aiming to take your spacious ambiance and trade it for over crowded, substandard units. Brooklyn is already being cannibalized and gentrified.)</span></strong></em></p><p><em>With only 1 million studio and one-bedroom apartments available for 1.8 million one- and two-person households, the shortage is forcing low-income renters into illegal apartments that can become fire traps, Bloomberg said." <span style="color:#993300;">(Really, and I thought it was the overpriced rents for those units!)</span></em></p><p>In recent years, small homes have been celebrated by design aficionados who argue that minimal space, less clutter and simpler living is both financially and spiritually freeing, but the idea of towers of tiny units raises the specter of an era in which poor residents were crammed into unsafe tenements where they could afford the rent.</p><p>City officials argued this proposal was utterly different from such wholesale warehousing of the poor. <strong>(Liar, Liar pants on fire!<span style="color:#993300;">)</span></strong></p><p>The tenement problem was big families in very small (spaces)," Bloomberg said. "We're not talking about that. We're talking about one or two people who want something they can afford, and they don't "entertain or need big space." (<strong><span style="color:#993300;">Then they most likely aren't New Yorkers! Our original homes were built with space to accommodate entertainment and good quality of life. Not automatons.)</span></strong></p><p><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i>Modern-day building codes and improved refrigeration and public health have changed what it means to live small, Bloomberg said. A typical mid-19th century tenement apartment on Manhattan's Lower East Side might have been larger than one of the micro-units, measuring 325 square feet, but would have typically housed families with multiple children. The micro-units are to be leased only to one- or two-person households.</i></font></p><p><i><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2">As long as living conditions are good, housing advocate</font> <font color="#FF3333"><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><b>Kerri White</b></font></font> <font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2">said she had no particular concerns about the program</font>. (</i><span style="font-style:normal;">Of</span> <font color="#800000"><span style="font-style:normal;"><b>course Kerri White would say that – she doesn't have to live in a coffin. Interesting how an “advocate” can't seem to advocate for expanding the standards.)</b></span></font></p><p><font style="font-size:11pt;" size="2"><i>"The general attitude toward space and how we use space is very different in New York City," said White, a director for housing advocacy group Urban Homesteading Assistance Board. "People are used to living in smaller quarters."</i></font></p><p><strong><font style="font-size:10pt;" size="2"><span style="color:#993300;">Now the interesting thing about this whole article is that in 2009 there were 65 totally vacant, <span style="text-decoration:underline;">unsold condominium buildings in Brooklyn, countless more in Harlem, and other parts of Manhattan.</span> Instead of dealing with the fact that these homes can be made affordable for New Yorkers, Bloomberg and henchmen want to build even more inadequate properties and force people to live in them. Interestingly enough, during the 2009 to 2010 period, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries presented a proposal to make this happen. It was entitled “Project Reclaim”, and is now a law on the books for New York State. In it developers can be caused to transform those vacant properties into livable, affordable housing units. But the law appears not to be enforced.</span></font></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#993300;"><font style="font-size:10pt;" size="2">Governor Cuomo and Housing Commissioner, Darryl Towns, as well as HPD Commissioner Wambua need to be called on the carpet for not putting teeth into this law, implementing it, and relieving New Yorkers of the substandard conditions they are currently living in. Actually, New Yorkers need to storm Gracie Mansion, HPD and demand that the bill be enforced. That would be the best occupy ever! However, instead of going after the properties for rental purposes, this time New Yorkers should be afforded the opportunity to purchase these properties at a reasonable price. Stop keeping hard working New Yorkers under the thumb while they cater to the rest of the population – some of whom, I might add, are directly responsible for the problems we're currently facing.</font></span></strong></p><div id="storytitle" dir="ltr"><p><em>In case you didn't get the memo, or missed the original article entirely, or you were off struggling trying to keep your landlord from raising your rent to an unconscionable amount, here:</em></p><p><em><strong>Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries Successfully Encourages State to Help Transform Failed Luxury Condos into Affordable Housing - Project Reclaim initiative takes substantial step toward implementation (September 8, 2009).</strong></em></p><p>"<em><strong>Brooklyn– Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries has announced that the state has agreed to work with him to convert half-built or half-empty luxury condominiums in central Brooklyn into affordable apartments for working families and the middle class.</strong></em> In <font color="#99284C"><i><b>January Assemblyman Jeffries launched Project Reclaim, an initiative to transform market-rate condominiums that have failed into desperately needed affordable housing for the residents of central Brooklyn.</b></i></font></p></div><p><i><b>"This spring, Jeffries conducted a block-by-block survey of new condominium developments in the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods that he represents. The survey uncovered 66 luxury condominium or rental projects that are either under construction, completed but vacant, or only partially occupied. Several are already in the early stages of foreclosure.</b></i></p><p>“<i><b>Many of these luxury condominium developments are destined to fail,” said Assemblyman Jeffries. “These buildings are coming into the real estate market in a very distressed financial climate, which includes a recession, the bursting of the housing bubble and the contraction on Wall Street.”</b></i></p><p><i><b>"In order to turn the stalled projects into affordable housing, Assemblyman Jeffries has introduced legislation that will help encourage banks to refinance troubled loans secured during the building boom of 2004-2008 in amounts up to $150 million. The bill makes it easier for the New York State Mortgage Insurance Fund to insure refinanced loans made in connection with failed condominium projects, thereby incentivizing financial institutions to participate in restructured transactions.</b></i></p><p><i><b>"In a recent interview with the New York Times, Priscilla Almodovar, chief executive of the New York State Housing Finance Agency, stated that a plan now in its early stages would most likely include offering homebuyers state-financed mortgages for units in buildings where some have already been sold to market-rate buyers. In that case, developers would also cut the price of the apartments. Another program would set aside $5 million for $40,000 grants to 125 homebuyers." (A <span style="color:#993300;">joke and a drop in the bucket compared to the numbers who need real assistance - where the heck has she been?)</span><br /></b></i></p><p>"Assemblyman Jeffries is also working with Rep. Edolphus Towns, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to pressure banks that have received federal bailout money to refinance distressed loans in order to create a financial environment where market-rate developments can be turned into affordable housing.</p><p>“<i>The luxury condominium developments that have flooded the neighborhoods of central Brooklyn have contributed to the substantial displacement of working families, senior citizens and the middle class," said Assemblyman Jeffries. “Project Reclaim will help insure that our community remains affordable for everyone.”</i></p><h1 class="western"><a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/03/17/harlems_condo_oversupply_mapped_and_dissected.php"><font size="3">Harlem's Condo Oversupply Mapped and Dissected</font></a></h1><h1 class="western"><span class="font-size-2">Wednesday, March 17, 2010, by <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/authors/joey-arak">Joey Arak</a></span></h1><p><img src="http://ny.curbed.com/uploads/2010_3_harlem.jpg" name="graphics8" alt="2010_3_harlem.jpg" id="graphics8" align="bottom" border="0" height="391" width="528" /></p><p><a name="more" id="more"></a> Those little black dots seen on the above map represent <b>new and under-construction condo projects</b> in Harlem and its environs on a map produced by Massey Knakel broker <a href="http://www.masseyknakal.com/people/SShkury" target="_blank">Shimon Shkury</a>, who released the <b>2009 Northern Manhattan condo sales report</b>. They were at one point getting $525 per square foot, but it's down by at least 50%. The once high priced studio of $593,000, are thankfully, no more. At least for now. (<strong><span style="color:#993300;">No thanks to HCCI, either, who did little to provide affordable homes for Black New Yorkers; in fact they became part of the problem, not the solution).</span></strong> But if the hype artist of the real estate industry have their way, they will be gouging Northern Manhattanites again. Although they stated "We believe several factors in 2010 will <b>lead to further downward pressure on residential pricing</b>, including: increased supply as several hundred units come online, their most recent postings are not reflective of any of those downturns.</p><p>If you look at that map of Harlem you can see there are a lot of properties that have not been occupied since their completion. Who are they holding them for? The new gentrifiers -- the vanilla to replace the chocolate? People are being pushed out by overpriced housing; is there any wonder that the 2010 census reflected a significant drop in New York's population, and the redistricting - actually the loss - of an entire congressional district? Why are we allowing them to gloss over the situation, and pick and choose who to help and how to help them? Whose city is this anyway? The Developers? Bloombergs? Or ours? What are our elected official for? </p><p>So what can we learn from this information, boys and girls? One even if the state does not have or provide all the funds, if you utilize the NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America) for purchase, you can actually obtain one of these properties - provided Bloomberg, Wambua, Towns and Cuomo do their job, enforce the law, and make them available to New Yorkers. </p><p>Also, when someone is willing to build you something substandard, rather than making a failed plan work in your behalf, you have to ask who are they working for, really? And do they really care about us, We the People of New York. </p><p>Let's stop being sheeple and allowing them to force feed us garbage while they collect high salaries and luxuriate in their spaces, and at the same time try to relegate us to the outskirts of our own city. Enough is enough. There are homes already developed and available-- give us the keys. We're ready to move in. </p><p><span style="color:#993300;">And as for Mayor Bloomberg and his cockamamie developers, tell them to build those 325 Square Foot coffins for themselves!!!</span></p><p>Stay Blessed &</p><p>ECLECTICALLY BLACK</p><p>Gloria Dulan-Wilson</p><p></p><p><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom:0in;"></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="gE iv gt"><table class="cf gJ"><tbody><tr class="acZ"><td class="gF gK"></td><td class="gH"></td><td class="gH"></td><td class="gH acX" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr class="acZ xD"><td colspan="3"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="post-body"><div class="post-more"><p></p><p></p></div></div><p><br /> <br /> <br /><br clear="all" />STAY BLESSED</p></div>JUNE 26, 2012 - A DAY OF VICTORY FOR NEW YORK, A TIME OF VIGILANCE FOR AMERICAhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/june-26-2012-a-day-of-victory-for-new-york-a-time-of-vigilance-fo2012-06-28T19:30:00.000Z2012-06-28T19:30:00.000ZGloria Dulan-Wilsonhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/GloriaDulanWilson<div>By Gloria Dulan-Wilson<br /><br />If June wasn't already an event-laden month, June 26th may well have been the zenith of a period that many felt would either make or break the New York Political realm for all times. <br /><br />Of course,there were many of us who predicted that there was nothing to worry about - that the candidates who were stacked against the incumbents didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of unseating them. And we were absolutely right:<br /><br />Congressman Charles Rangel held his seat in Manhattan, with a 56% lead at the time of this writing. No surprise when you figure there were so many running against him it easily split the votes. <br /><br />Congresswoman Yvette Clarke will be returning to DC in Brooklyn, despite efforts to totally decimate her congressional district through the most heinous redistricting ever. At her victory party, held at Tropical Paradise in Brooklyn, she thanked her supporters, including Ms. Andrea Dawes, who had volunteered in every way possible; her mother, former City Council member Una S.T. Clarke, Mary Bishop, Latrice Walker and others, for making sure that she was able to conduct a campaign and maintain her responsibilities of representing her constituents in Washington. "We had a 'scrunching' of the opponent!" she stated enthusiastically, as her many well wishers toasted her victory. Scrunch or no scrunch, anyone following the Congresswoman's activities wonders what could her opponent have been thinking - no game, no track record, she was hopelessly out matched by Ms. Clarke across the board.<br /> <br />Congressman Gregory Meeks likewise prevailed in Queens; while Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez returns as well.<br /><br />However, the most watched race, and what almost turned out to be the most acrimonious contest was that between City Councilman Charles Barron and New York State Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries for the congressional seat recently vacated by Congressman Edolphus Towns.<br /><br />What started out as a three way contest between Town, Jeffries and Barron, was turned into a two-way battle after the congressman announced that he was not going to seek re-election, after having served 27 years in Congress in Brooklyn's 10th Congressional District.<br /><br />The announcement came as a shock to many who had supported Congressman Towns, and were now left with the dilemma of who to throw their support behind. The decision came so closely after fellow Congressman Donald Payne (D. Newark, NJ) had so suddenly succumbed to cancer, many speculated this may have played into Town's sudden decision to retire. The two had served together in Congress for more than a quarter of a century, each ably representing their constituencies, and simultaneously supporting each other in important legislation.<br /><br />That said, the field was now narrowed down to two contenders. Both Barron and Jeffries had great track records in their service and devotion to their constituencies. Both have been known to go to the wall when necessary to ensure their districts had what they needed. So, to say the least, it was a perplexing problem, both inside and outside the Black community.<br /><br />VIDA, the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association of Central Brooklyn had apparently decided to support Jeffries long before Congressman Towns backed out of the race. Under the leadership of State Democratic District Leader Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., who was recently elected President of the organization, they led a vigorous campaign to get the rest of the community on board. Still, with new lines drawn, and with the decimation of the old 10th Congressional District, reaching out to bring a new and diverse community together to coalesce behind Jeffries was no easy task.<br /><br />Couple that with the fact that few, if any, of the Brooklyn voting population were aware that June 26th was substituting for the regular New York Primary that had traditionally been held in September; and you had what could have been the making of a political disaster.<br /><br />Two weeks prior to the election, Barron had received the blessing and support of Congressman Towns, and it looked as if those who had supported him in the past may have followed suit as well. There were, however, others who were not persuaded that this was a good fit for Brooklyn, owing to the fiery nature of Barron, whose militancy and clarity has been known to rub more moderate political figures the wrong way. <br /><br />So, while the voter turn out was "predictably low", the percentages were sufficient for a landslide in Jeffries' favor. Garnering 73% of the votes, more than enough to send him to Congress in 2013, it was clear that the voters of Brooklyn had spoken.<br /><br />At his victory celebration, Jeffries thanked his staff and his campaign leaders, and pledged to continue to represent the poor, the middle class, the seniors, and those in his district who had been pushed out as a result of unaffordable living conditions, unemployment and other negative conditions. On hand to congratulate him were Assembly members Annette M. Robinson, Karim Camara, State Senator Kevin Parker, former Assembly members Roger Green and Clarence Norman, Elizabeth Holtzman, Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, Professor Leonard Jeffries and his wife, Roslyn Jeffries (Hakeem Jeffries' aunt and uncle); 2013 Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, and others too numerous to mention.<br /><br />In looking across the room packed full of well wishers, it was obvious Jeffries had drawn support from practically every quarter of Brooklyn. Amazingly so, when the new maps themselves had actually not been completely finalized until just days before, leaving many in a quandry as to where they actually were supposed to be as of the day of the primary.<br /><br />In closing Jeffries pledged to now focus his attention on the re-election of President Barack Obama. Our congratulations to him for having secured the victory as our new Congressional Representative in DC.<br /><br />This is the point that I now remind everyone that, as in Brooklyn, and everywhere else, your vote absolutely counts!!! If you did not participate in this primary, if you have not registered to vote, make sure you do so before the September statewide primary. And most definitely before the Presidential election. <br /><br />We've still got so much more to do to secure the future of our country from the hands of those who would roll back the clock to pre-civil rights and voting rights days.<br /><br />I truly hope, as well, that now that this phase of the elections are behind us, those who were contenders will begin to work with the victors to move forward and make sure that we New Yorkers continue to move forward as well.<div>We've got to re-elect President Barack Hussein Obama. And with battle ground states surrounding us, and the combined rep-ugh-blican tactics of voter nullification and re-districting, as well as the Supreme Court bogus "Citizen's United rule" giving big business the right to buy elections wholesale, we had best be uniting across the boards to hold the lines and save democracy - or end up in a fascist version of the US that will make other repressive governments look like a cakewalk by comparison. **<br /><br />So celebrate a great victory, New York. Pat yourselves on the back. But be very afraid, because states like Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Arizona, are still trying to exert racist, repressive, revisionist, control over our rights. <br /><br />And we absolutely cannot allow that to happen.</div><div><em><span style="color:#993366;"><strong>**(Just a foot note to this</strong></span> - we know that so-called Citizen's United and the Tea Baggers are pouring millions of dollars into trying to prevent Obama from being re-elected. So there are many in the meanstream media that try to convince us that Mitt Romney is getting bigger contributions. That may well be the case in quantity. However, while we may not have thousands to contribute, we do have thousands of us who can each give $3.00; $5.00; $7.00 or $10.00 to help in the campaign. If we each give $3.00 per week, President Obama will be able to continue with his campaign, while continuing the great job he is doing as Our President. You can either contribute online or via the many campaign headquarters in your area. For those of you outside New York, particularly those of you in the Battleground states, if you need to find a way of getting your contribution to the President, log on to <a href="http://www.Obama2012.com">www.Obama2012.com</a>, and they will reach back out you.</em>) <br /><br />Stay Blessed &<br />ECLECTICALLY BLACK<br />Gloria Dulan-Wilson</div><div><span>Posted by <span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10697937958373924179" title="author profile">Gloria Dulan-Wilson</a></span></span> <span>at <a target="_blank" href="http://gloria-dulan-wilson.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-26-2012-day-of-victory-for-new.html" title="permanent link">6:55 AM</a></span> <span><span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=8661755859413500477&postID=3601150121292865794" title="Email Post"><img alt="" src="http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_email.gif" height="13" width="18" /></a></span> <span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8661755859413500477&postID=3601150121292865794&from=pencil" title="Edit Post"><img alt="" src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" height="18" width="18" /></a></span></span></div><p></p></div>