By Senator Cordell Cleare
On June 19th, 2024, the day is known throughout the nation as “Juneteenth”, in remembrance of the true ending of the chattel slavery that millions of Black people endured for centuries.
“Columbia University, to discontinue its … seizure of land throughout Harlem …
Senator Cordell Cleare and a host of activists, advocates, and elected officials, called on Columbia University, to discontinue its ongoing seizure of land throughout Harlem and areas of Upper Manhattan. The event, which coordinated along with the Interfaith Commission on Housing Equality and its “Defend Harlem” campaign, was held in support of Cleare’s Senate Bill 9028, which, if passed would prohibit the State’s Empire State Development Corporation from participating in and supporting an agreement the corporation signed with the University in 2008.
The agreement, known as the “Columbia University Education Mixed-Use Development Land Use Improvement and Civic Project Modified General Project Plan”, allowed Columbia to develop seventeen acres of land between 125th Street and 133rd Street, on the West side of Broadway. The plan also included a “Community Benefits Agreement” that would have provided the impacted community with several benefits. The plan has been highly criticized for its role in the gentrification of the area and the decrease of affordable housing stock. In addition to securing property that was outside the scope of the original plan, event attendees questioned the University’s fulfillment of the terms of the Community Benefits agreement.
“I have heard from the community repeated concerns, rents are astronomical, families are finding it more and more difficult to live in our community and are rapidly being pushed out,” said Senator Cordell Cleare from NYS District 30. “Small businesses are failing because of rents, not only is affordable housing disappearing, housing is disappearing, according to the CSS report. We are in a housing crisis and as we struggle to find ways to build affordability one of the greatest tools in our toolbelt is to preserve the housing that we already have. This Columbia expansion is a direct threat to the preservation of affordability in Harlem.”
“… Columbia University is a public menace …”
“Today we have come to declare that Columbia University is a public menace to the health and well-being of thousands of residents who work and worship in West Harlem, Washington Heights through Inwood, and threatens businesses and institutions in uptown,” said Reverend Dedrick Blue of Ephesus SDA Church and board member of the Interfaith Commission.
“In my opinion, clarity is the best viewpoint with respect to how things are changing in our community,” said State Senator Robert Jackson from Senate District 31. “We want our community to stay united and have affordable housing, education, good jobs, and opportunities. And that is what this is about, it’s about protecting what you have.”
“I am supportive of what the senator is doing to demand on behalf of the entire diverse community to call for an investigation and a reopening of what was passed in 2008,” said Assemblywoman Inez Dickens from District 70. “This deal was not inclusive and has not met the needs of our community. Whether we are talking about affordable housing, small businesses support, and the availability of community space for programs such as the youth, senior, small business programs. Residents and businesses can no longer afford to stay in the community they were raised or started in.”
“Together, we can create a just and equitable community …”
“As we celebrate Juneteenth and the strides towards freedom and equality, we must also confront the ongoing housing crisis in our community,” said Assemblyman Al Taylor from District 71. “Columbia University has a moral obligation to fulfill its promises and ensure that affordable housing is accessible to all residents of Harlem. Together, we can create a just and equitable community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”
“For decades, our community has steadfastly opposed the relentless expansion of Columbia University into Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and Manhattanville,” said Assemblyperson Danny O’Donnell from District 69. “Our neighborhoods are vibrant, diverse communities with rich histories and deep roots. They are home to generations of families and small businesses who deserve affordable housing and respect, not displacement and erasure. We demand that Columbia respect the integrity of our neighborhoods. Columbia’s expansion continues to uproot long-standing residents, erode the unique character of our community, and exacerbate the gentrification crisis that is driving out our most vulnerable neighbors. It’s well past time Columbia put people before profit and ensure that their actions do not continue to divide our communities.”
“The demographic and affordability changes in Upper Manhattan, including in West Harlem, are alarming and moving in the wrong direction,” said Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine. “Black, Hispanic, and lower-income residents whose families have weathered the toughest years uptown are being replaced, unable to afford rents uptown. We must protect vulnerable tenants, build much more affordable housing, and assist small Black and brown-owned businesses that are also being displaced. Additionally, because the presence of and expansion of Columbia University has no doubt contributed to these demographic and affordability changes, Columbia must continue to work with its neighbors and elected representatives in a spirit of transparency and accountability to support its surrounding neighborhood. I look forward to continuing to partner with community stakeholders, other elected officials, and Columbia University to preserve a West Harlem that its existing residents can enjoy for years to come.”
“… building on the foundation of the Community Benefits Agreement …”
“As we acknowledge Juneteenth, we look forward to the opportunity to bring the aforementioned items to fruition and building on the foundation of the Community Benefits Agreement,” said Victor Edwards, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 9.
I support Senator Cordell Cleare’s Senate Bill S9028A to reassess the Empire State Development Corporation giving Columbia University the rights to gentrification in the Village of Harlem,” said Imam Izak-EL Mu’eed Pasha of the Historic Malcolm Shabazz Mosque and board member of the Interfaith Commission on Housing Equality, “I believe it needs to be reevaluated. I hope this Bill will come into fruition. The average homeowner or business is never given the equity or rights that are extended to Columbia University “Harlem, a community rich with history, culture, and diversity, has been enduring relentless gentrification,” said Mira Sawlani-Joyner, Minister of Justice Advocacy and Chance for the Riverside Church. “Families who have lived here for generations are being pushed out, their lives uprooted by skyrocketing rents and the incessant demand for luxury apartments. This development plan, under the guise of progress, has prioritized profit over people, eroding the spirit and solidarity of our community. We have a moral obligation to support this bill because it addresses the injustices inflicted upon Harlem’s residents.”
“… Harlem itself dictates its future.”
“No one has more ideas and solutions about how to promote the health and safety of Harlem than Harlem does,” said Diana Davis, Senior at Columbia College. “No one breathes more life and vibrancy into Harlem than Harlem does. It is only logical then, that Harlem itself dictates its future.”
Senator Cordell Cleare
Senator Cleare is currently serving in her first full term from District 30, representing Central Harlem, East Harlem (El Barrio), West Harlem, a portion of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and the Washington Heights neighborhoods. Raised in Harlem, Cleare is the second woman in the State’s history, to hold her seat in the State Senate. She is currently the Chair of the Senate Committee on Aging.
Defend Harlem/New York Interfaith Commission on Housing Equality
The Interfaith Housing Commission for Housing Equality is a coalition composed of passionate faith leaders who dedicate themselves to advocating for comprehensive workforce housing programs. Their goal is to protect Harlem residents from displacement and preserve the historical integrity of this iconic New York City neighborhood.
Photo credit: Wiki.
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