Gentrification in Bed-Stuy a new movement? Don’t Believe the Hype!

As a young African -American who grew up in Central Brooklyn, it is easy to feel the American Dream fading away. I recently read an article in The New York Times by Jennifer Collins titled “Detroit Pushes Back With Young Muscles” that made me question the fate of young black America and what opportunities exist for us in the midst of a national economic crisis. She excitedly described the “influx of young creative types turning Detroit into a Midwestern TriBeCa” as the main catalyst for change in Detroit.

Contrast the photos that accompanied the Times article of young white professionals casually networking at a rooftop party in downtown Detroit with the life of the average black Detroiter makes the race and class dynamics of gentrification even more visible. I’ve visited  Detroit, and while it is true that young folks from around the country are flocking there and calling it a “movement”, this movement is not color-blind.

Without explicitly mentioning race or gentrification, an article ostensibly written to celebrate the rebirth of Detroit is nothing more than propaganda for urban gentrification. Similar to New York City, Detroit’s campaign to target young white professionals is well-resourced and unrelenting.

There is even a Web site dedicated to getting 1,100 “new” people to move to Detroit by November. Even if a few handpicked young and talented black folks are selected to promote the city’s image as a multicultural hipsters enclave, it is unlikely many of us will have the wherewithal to relocate there anytime soon.

Closer to home, gentrification is polarizing and displacing many black residents that are struggling to make ends meet. On the corner of Atlantic and Franklin Avenues  in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, a huge billboard targeting young hipsters by a local real estate company called Myspace sits adjacent to the Bedford-Atlantic Armory- a massive 350-bed men’s homeless shelter. The billboard depicts a slim white woman covered in tattoos with long black hair stuffing her face with a burger as she sits in a bubble bath in her new apartment. The ad could not be further out of touch with the lives of the surrounding black community.

This brings me to my final point. Gentrification is inherently undemocratic. Over the past ten years, I have witnessed New York City and other cities with significant number of black residents shift its resources to primarily benefit upper-middle-class whites at the expense of low-income communities of color. These policies are often subsidies by the city or private companies. The net effect is that our cities are being redesigned completely around the needs of the most privileged. Our policy-makers and those that support this form of urban investment either ignore this fact or don’t care.

Gentrification hurts more than it helps our community. The only development that will promote greater equity and justice during these tough economic times are ones that are created within a racial, economic, social and environmental justice framework. Our community is paying a heavy price for the free market to work for only a few people. Without a framework that aims at promoting justice, it is difficult to counteract the inequitable power and racial dynamics that keeps gentrification thriving.

International African Arts Fest Bigger and Better

Besides celebrating our country’s independence during the July 4th weekend, the date also marks the 40th year of the International African Arts Festival.

The event is a four-day festival slated to start at 10 am Friday, July 1st at Commodore Barry Park in Fort Greene. More than 75,000 people are expected to attend this year.
 

The festival is known for bringing awareness for African Diaspora culture. It started as an “end of year” celebration in 1971.  Back then it was hosted in conjunction with the independently run Uhuru SaSa school, which at that time was one of the largest African-American schools.
 

  “It was a collective effort. It wasn’t just one person. A number of brothers and sisters were involved,” said Basir Mchawi, one of the festival founders. 

They also created it with members from a Brooklyn organization called EAST. The organization still has active members in the community, Mchawi noted.
 

Originally called the “African Street Carnival”, it started more like a large block party on Claver Place.
   The festival eventually grew and organizers changed locations to Boys and Girls High School. When the high school began renovations to their athletic field the festival was moved temporarily to Fulton Street. 
 The festival has been held at its current location for about eight years.  Each year it has a different theme and this year is no different. 
 

The current theme is Arobiani, Swahili. There will also be several tributes for people instrumental in spreading African culture such as Chief Bey, an African folklorist and percussionist; Nana Dinizulu and African culturalist Baba Ishangi.  There will also be a tribute to Gil Scott- Heron, who performed at the festival in the past.
 

  Mchawi said the festival is like an economic incubator. Several local businesses got their first start as vendors.  This includes Moshood, Carol’s Daughter and Calabar.

 Longtime vendor William Fleet, designer of TBA Clothing in Clinton Hill, agreed. “We always get new vendors because there are people who believe.”

Access-a-Ride Repair Shop Un-Neighborly to Dean Street Homeowner

 Imagine in 2006, you purchase a newly constructed home on Dean Street and Rochester Ave. Directly across the street is a staircase manufacturer that you barely know is there because the company keeps normal business hours and never utilizes the Dean Street entrance, instead using the one on Pacific Street. The manufacturer leaves. Then one day a vehicle repair shop arrives. The shop operates 24/7 with exhaust fumes permeating from idling vehicles on both the Dean and Pacific sides of the building. You can’t sleep due to the constant sound of pneumatic drills, music and a loudspeaker.

This is what happened to Dean Street homeowners more than a year ago when “MV Paratransit” Access-a-Ride (AAR) opened a vehicle repair depot across the street.

Jacqueline Wells, a homeowner on Dean Street, began writing letters to the MTA’s Paratransit Division in Oct. 2009 with complaints of numerous vehicles idling on “a residential street with new private homes.” Wells asserted, “This is not a commercial bus transport area.” She listed the dates, times and vehicle numbers of idling AAR buses.  She received no response.

Wells, who also serves on the  CB #8 Transportation Committee, wrote to the MTA’s Paratransit Division in March 2010 detailing a litany of complaints such as “loud music, loud banging of repair equipment and backup beeping noise of the vans inside and outside the depot when rear (Dean St.) doors are open” and “emission fumes coming from inside and outside the depot from ongoing repair work and idling vans.” According to Wells’ letter, these disturbances occur throughout the day, at night past 12AM and every weekend.

The letter included an invitation to either the April, May or June CB #8 Transportation meeting in order to “address these issues and talk about corrective action.” CB #8 suggested several corrective options to reduce the “growing toxic environmental impact.” MTA Paratransit never attended any CB #8 meetings nor answered any letters.

At one point, the noise and fumes did seem to ease. Dean Street homeowners thought MV Paratransit would “be a good neighbor.” But by November 2010, Wells, in her capacity as president of the 1700 Dean Street Block Association, wrote yet another letter to MTA Paratransit detailing an escalation of the problem. MV Paratransit began using Dean Street to park disabled vehicles, at times blocking the street and backing up car traffic and the B15 and B65 buses. Vehicles park directly at the fire hydrant. In addition, the Dean Street doors are open 24/7, seemingly in an attempt to backdraft noxious fumes.

In yet another letter dated Jan. 2011, CB #8 recommended MV Paratransit simply cease using the Dean Street exit.
For the safety of homeowners and workers employed at the repair depot, CB #8 recommends sound-proofing the poorly insulated buildings and the installation
of an air recycling system to reduce toxic fumes.

Since MV Paratransit began operations at the Dean/Pacific Streets location, homeowners have endured winters when the company neglects to remove snow from the sidewalks as well as ice accumulation on sidewalks from runoff after vehicles are washed. Now that summer is approaching, homeowners dare not open their windows; the smell of exhaust fumes permeates everything.

“We don’t mind them being there, but they need not infringe upon our quality of life,” said Nikia Kennedy, a resident who lives directly across the street from MV Paratransit’s repair depot.

“One Borough, One City, One Dream” The NAACP-Brooklyn Branch Annual Freedom Fund Reception & Awards Ceremony

“ONE BOROUGH, ONE CITY, ONE DREAM”  was the theme for The  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Brooklyn  Branch, Fifth Annual Freedom Fund Reception Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May  11 at the Brooklyn Public Library in the Dr.  S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn.

“The NAACP was  founded by brave American citizens from many cultures, colors and creeds,  nearly 100 years ago to bring freedom and equal rights and civil rights to  Black Americans.  The Brooklyn  Branch continues to be blessed by the work of diverse members and  supporters who share the vision of justice, compassion and economic  opportunity,” said Karen Boykin-Towns, Brooklyn Branch President since 2005.

“Our founders  courageously proved to us that they were powerful beyond  measure. We must  convey that courage to the next generation and beyond so that someday the  vision will be achieved,” stated Boykin-Towns.

Freedom Fund Reception and Awards are being sponsored by: AARP,  Citigroup,  Con Edison, Council of School Administrators and Supervisors, Delta Airlines,  Greater New York Hospital Association, Health First, International Brotherhood  of Teamsters Local 237, Muss Development, New York State United Teachers, The  Related Companies, LP, Rent-A-Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Tioga  Downs Racetrack LLC, V3 Hotels and OraSure Technologies,  Inc. For further  information please visit _www.brooklynnaacp.org or call  718-243-2040.

Honorees:

Jacqueline  A. Berrien, Chair, US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;

Dr. Marcella  Maxwell, Community Activist; LUCILLE ROSE LIVING LEGEND AWARD, Jacqui  Williams-Fields, Principal, 99 Solutions; VALIANT SERVICE AWARD, Roland Brammer,  Owner, Subway Franchise; ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD, Jailia McLean, Catherine McCauley High School, YOUNG LEADER AWARD; Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez ,  President, Hispanic Federation, FREEDOM STAR AWARD; LEGAL LEADERSHIP  AWARD. Verizon LEADERSHIP IN COMMERCE & INDUSTRY AWARD; Jorel Moore,  Franklin K. Lane High School YOUNG LEADER AWARD.

Police Beat * 5-12-2011

77th Precinct covering Crown Heights and Prospect Heights
Wine robbery
An unknown thief robbed a wine bar and restaurant on May 4, police said.
Police believe the crook entered the Abigail Wine Bar and Restaurant, 807 Classon Avenue, some time after 3 am through the side window and exited the same way.
The owner reported the burglar made off with $100 left in the register and several bottles of wine.

Intoxicating robbery
A heartless goon bashed a man in the head and robbed him on May 3, police said.
The 47-year-old victim was standing in the lobby of 1295 Pacific Street at about 3 pm when the unknown perpetrator struck him in the forehead with a hard object. He then pilfered through his pocket and took $100.
Police said the victim appeared intoxicated at the scene and was not compliant in helping chase the mugger, who is still on the loose.

Dog gone robber
A thief with a dog on a pink leash robbed an 11-year-old of his cell phone on May 4, police said.
The young victim was in front of 1296 Pacific Street at about 5:45 pm when he was jumped from behind and forced to give up his cell phone.
The thief and his pooch then escaped on foot westbound along Pacific Street.

Quick thief
A thug snatched a cell phone out of a woman’s hand on May 5, police said.
The 35-year-old victim was on her Apple iphone on the northeast corner of Nostrand and Atlantic Avenues at about 9:40 pm when the unknown perpetrator grabbed the phone and fled westbound on Atlantic Avenue.

Crack dealer nabbed
Police arrested an alleged 17-year-old crack dealer on May 6 after a brief chase.
Members of the police street narcotics enforcement unit (SNEU) observed the defendant dealing the crack at about 3:05 pm on the northwest corner of Dean Street and Nostrand Avenue.
When the cops moved in to make the arrest the 17-year-old fled and was collared after a brief foot chase. Both crack and money allegedly used in the transaction were recovered.

Two women attack cops
Two women were arrested and charged with assault after attacking police on May 6.
The police arrived to the front of 1295 Pacific Street to arrest a man on a warrant when the two females (ages 22 and 17) attacked the two cops punching them numerous times and flinging water at them.
The two cops were finally able to bring the ladies under control and arrest them.

Public school beating
A 14-year-old girl, with the help of her mother and two aunts, beat up a school rival May 4, police said.
The 14-year-old victim was punched, kicked and beaten with an umbrella by the three at 3:27 pm just outside PS 138 at 700 Prospect Park Place.
The 14-year-old attacker also threatened her victim on Facebook and in front of police.

High-schooler robbed
Five youths mugged a 17-year-old student on May 5, police said.
The victim, a student at Paul Robeson High School, was on the southeast corner of Lincoln Place and Troy Avenue at 3 pm when one of the muggers punched him from behind, knocking him to the ground. Then the other youths rifled through his pockets and took his BlackBerry before fleeing.

Two auto thefts
Two autos were swiped in two days near the same location, police said.
In the first incident, on May 6, a 47-year-old woman had  her 1999 Ford Econoline stolen in front of 1236 Sterling Place between the hours of 6:30 and 8:30 pm.
Then two days later, on May 8, a 32-year-old woman had her 2002 Ford Explorer swiped from where she parked it in front of 1268 Sterling Place.

79th Precinct covering Bedford-Stuyvesant
Man shot to death in Sumner Houses
A 35-year-old man was shot to death in the Sumner Houses on May 5, police said.
Police, responding to a radio call at 6:37 pm at 896 Park Avenue, found Otis Scott with one gunshot wound to the torso.
Scott, whose address was listed as being on Avenue L in Brooklyn, was taken to Woodhull Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.

Man shot in leg
A man was shot once in the leg on May 7, police said.
The victim, whose age was not given, was shot on Albany Avenue but fell in front of 73 Decatur Street. He was taken to Kings County Hospital and is expected to recover.
Police sources said the victim was not cooperative to investigators, but a gun was recovered and they have a description of the shooter.

81st Precinct covering Stuyvesant Heights
Shots fired
Two incidents of shots fired were reported this week, police said.
The first incident occurred on May 5 at 2 am in the area of Stuyvesant Avenue and Willoughby Street.
The second incident occurred at 4:30 pm, May 9 in front of 721 Willoughby Street. Shell casings were found at the scene.
Police said it doesn’t appear anybody was hit from the shots and they are continuing their investigation.

88th Precinct covering Fort Greene/Clinton Hill
Subway theft
Two goons snatched a man’s cell phone on the subway on May 5, police said.
The 32-year-old victim was on his Iphone when the northbound ‘C’ train he was on pulled into the station at Fulton Street and Washington Avenue.
When the doors to the train opened, one of the perpetrators grabbed the phone from his hand and they both fled out of the train.

Elevator robbery
Two thugs robbed a man on an elevator on May 6, police said.
The 25-year-old victim entered the elevator inside 68 Cumberland Street at 4:25 pm when the two perpetrators grabbed him from behind and rifled through his pockets taking his Apple ipad and $40 before exiting on the fifth floor and fleeing.

Target grand larceny
A woman had her wallet taken while she shopped at Target in the Atlantic Terminal Mall on May 6, police said.
The woman noticed her wallet missing from her purse at about 9:20 pm.

Street robbery
A punk mugged a 38-year-old woman on May 6, police said.
The victim was walking at 10:25 pm in front of 50 Greene Avenue when the unknown perpetrator yelled out to the victim, “Hey,” before putting her in a chokehold. After the victim fell to the ground, he grabbed her pocketbook and fled south on Adelphi Street.

Motorcycle stolen
A woman had her motorcycle stolen on May 7, police said.
The 55-year-old victim parked her 2000 Honda in front of 100 Hall Street at about 10 pm. When she returned the next morning it was gone.

Restoration Plaza readies for grand reopening

One of Bed-Stuy’s crown jewels, Restoration Plaza on Fulton Street, is getting ready to show itself off again after a five-year, $10 million renovation.
“We hope to have the plaza open for outdoor seating around June 1,” said Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation Chief Operating Officer Dyrnest Sinckler. “At that time, the steps and windows in the building will be complete and Applebee’s will put on a whole new face-lift on their store complete with new signage, awnings and outdoor seating.”
The redesign, launched in 2006 with $8 million in funding through Council member Albert Vann and the New York City Council, and an additional $2.5 million in funding through Borough President Marty Markowitz and Mayor Bloomberg for the renovation of Billie Holiday Theatre, will boast a more airy, open and pedestrian-friendly design.
The redesign included the demolition of the façade to make room for expanded pedestrian access and street-level views to the inner courtyard, upgraded lighting and signage.
Upon final completion, it will include a video projection screen, an outdoor dining area, and an interactive and educational “Walk of Fame” honoring Restoration’s founders and other community activists.
Future plans include the incorporation of animated water features, an outdoor lawn, and an indoor/outdoor pavilion that will accommodate events for upwards of 600 people.
Besides Applebee’s and the Billie Holiday Theatre, current tenants include Foodtown, Duane Reade and Chase Bank. The complex also includes a small radio station and ample room for meetings, forums and educational space. Sinckler said they already have nine figures for the initial “Walk of Fame.”
“It will honor individuals providing for the face of change in the building of Restoration Plaza and setting a model for the community and nation insofar as community organizations and development, and creating a healthy environment in restoring communities,” he said.
Sinckler would not reveal any of the initial names and wanted to keep it as a surprise.
“We will hold off on that for the official announcement around September,” he said.

Wal-Mart’s Cure for Struggling Sales: Sell Firearms

–Victims of Gun Violence Urge Mayor Bloomberg to Condemn Retailer for Reversing Decision to Stop Selling Rifles, Shotguns–

So Wal-Mart, the #1 seller of firearms in the United States, would like to give its struggling sales a shot in the arm by setting up shop in East New York.  But victims of gun violence have informed us that Wal-Mart’s “shot” will head straight to the heart of all of Brooklyn if the mayor allows the retail giant to go through with their reported plans.
Freddie Hamilton, founder, Parents United to Rally for Gun Violence Elimination (PURGE), said: “I hope a strong antigun advocate like Mayor Bloomberg will recognize a disastrous decision when he sees one and calls on Wal-Mart to stop. We need fewer guns on the streets, and Wal-Mart’s decision will only mean more guns on the streets.”
Earlier this week, victims of gun violence, leaders and families in communities plagued by gun violence, along with New York City elected officials denounced Wal-Mart’s decision to sell more rifles, shotguns and ammunition at hundreds of stores nationwide after removing them from many stores five years ago.
In 2008, Wal-Mart enjoyed a major public relations boost when it announced it would participate in Mayor Bloomberg’s Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership- a move even the NRA derided as nothing more than a “public relations stunt.”
All across the city,  families of gun violence victims urged the mayor to be as serious as he says he is about preventing firearm deaths before they happen, by telling the nation’s largest firearms dealer that it is not welcome in New York City.
Jackie Rowe Adams from Harlem Mothers Save said, “The mayor needs to step up and renounce Wal-Mart’s awful decision. We have seen what guns have done to our communities, and bringing in a Wal-Mart to our communities would send the wrong message- that we condone their gun sale policies which put people’s lives in danger.
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said: “As the largest seller of firearms and ammunition in America, Wal-Mart does not belong in New York City. I urge Mayor Bloomberg to continue his leadership on gun control by joining the fight against Wal-Mart coming to our city.”
Walmart’s decision comes after 7 consecutive quarters of same store sales declines in the U.S., which has spurred the retailer to pursue an aggressive urban expansion plan into New York City including a location in East New York, a neighborhood plagued by gun violence.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said:”The Wal-Mart charm offensive ends today with news that the conglomerate plans to expand considerably the sale of weapons and ammunition. We know that the bullets that killed six people and wounded a United States Congresswoman in Arizona were purchased at Wal-Mart, and now the retailer wants to make ammunition more accessible in both rural and urban markets. If the city wants to remain a leader on gun control, we need to take a hard stand against Wal-Mart’s decision and make it clear that any corporation that looks for new markets to sell guns and fosters a culture of violence is not welcome in New York.”
Council member Tish James said: “Any commercial establishment that sells guns by the truck-load does not belong in New York City. Guns are a scourge in New York City and no one sells more guns than Walmart, they don’t belong in our city.”
Council member Charles Barron: “East NY is plagued by the scourge of gun violence. And at the same time that Wal-Mart is trying to buy their way into New York, they are quietly starting to sell guns and ammunition again. This is Wal-Mart once again going back on a promise they’ve made because of their terrible sales, what other promises will they break?”
Council member Jumaane Williams said: “The gun violence in my district cannot be ignored and it cannot be accepted. Wal-Mart bringing stockpiles of guns and ammo into our city would be a public safety hazard of the most heinous kind. This is the opposite of what we need to end gun violence in my district and in the City. Wal-Mart is a company that will put lives in danger in order to turn a profit and I will not stand by and watch this happen without a fight.”
When it comes to gun control and gun violence prevention, Wal-Mart doesn’t appear to share New York’s values:
· Firearm sales: Wal-Mart is the # 1 seller of fire arms in the US and takes in millions in profits from gun sales.
· Arizona: Wal-Mart sold Jared Lee Laughner the ammunition he used in the Arizona shooting earlier this year, as was widely reported in the news media.
· Evading Laws: Wal-Mart has a history of not complying with gun laws. In 2004, Walmart paid more than $14 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the California Attorney General alleging that the company committed thousands of violations of California state gun safety laws, including selling ammunition to minors and selling firearms to convicted felons, as was reported by the news media at the time.
· Wal-Mart’s Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership is a sham: The partnership relies on voluntarily compliance, and there are no actual obligations for Wal-Mart to comply.

C-Warrants Can Be Cleared on April 22, 23 at Antioch Baptist Church

A new slant on a federal program will soon offer a two-day opportunity for Brooklyn residents to purge the record of any outstanding petty summonses and summons warrants.Project Safe Surrender (PSS) is a pilot community program that will come to the Antioch Baptist Church, 828 Greene Avenue, from 9 am to 5 pm, April 22 and 23 for residents to adjudicate past violation summons in a safe and non-threatening environment.  “This is not a pardon but it is a solution that is favorable,” said Robert Cornegy, the 56th Democratic Male Assembly District Leader. “Both clergy and law enforcement personnel will be on hand.”The charges to be adjudicated include unlawful possession of alcohol under the age of 21, consumption of alcohol in public, aggressive solicitation, unlawful possession of handcuffs, littering, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, making unreasonable noise, offensive manner in the street, animal nuisance, failure to have a dog license, unleashed dog, spitting, trespass, disorderly conduct, loitering, unlawfully in the park after hours, and failure to comply with a posted sign in the park.“All Class C summonses will be adjudicated,” said Cornegy, noting that police from the 79th and 81st Precincts are known for writing these kinds of summons.Cornegy said there are about 500,000 of such summons boroughwide and about 67,000 in Bed-Stuy.Cornegy said that should respondents have any misdemeanors or felonies on their records they will not be arrested and have access to the Legal Aid Society as well as the Black Bar Association.Cornegy said the PSS would cost about $250,000 with the office of District Attorney Charles Hynes putting in $200,000.

Then the Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood rallied the community and came up with the other $50,000, he said.Hynes’ spokesperson Jerry Schmetterer said holding the program is a way of helping out local residents.“We are responding to community concerns that some people are afraid to apply for jobs or government services because of the weight of past summonses,” said Schmetterer.Cornegy said following the adjudications residents will also have the opportunity to go to Rev. Youngblood’s Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, 760 DeKalb Avenue, where vital social service agencies that provide assistance in the areas of housing, health, employment, employment training and education will be on hand.To get the word out to the community, Cornegy and volunteers have been putting posters up around the neighborhood. He also is having every tenant association write “Dear Neighbor” letters about the program, and plans to walk the neighborhood with the Organization 125 Men to get the word out.This includes going in the churches, the barbershops, and the parks and wherever else residents might be, he said.(If “Safe Surrender” will make a difference in your life, tell us at the Our Time Press Forum at www.ourtimepress.com)

At Wit’s End

Build Atlantic yards in Bedford-Stuyvesant

 

 

If developer Forest City Ratner (FCR) wants to prefabricate all planned 16 high-rise buildings in his $4.9 billion Atlantic Yards project tat’s fine with me as long as most of the factory work stays in Brooklyn.     And a good place to start looking for a site to build modules components of the skyscrapers that will be trucked and bolted together on the 22-acre site starting at the Flatbush/Atlantic avenues intersection is in Bedford-Stuyvesant.     It’s an idea that developer Bruce Ratner should consider after announcing recently he might start the housing portion of the arena/housing project with the world’s largest prefabricated or modular dwelling at 34 stories – 30 percent of which will be affordable.    Modular building provides plenty of jobs in America’s rural areas as many single-family homes are now built that way. If this technology can be perfected in large-scale buildings, other developers will follow suit, and there is a chance to revive the city’s sagging manufacturing base.     The only sour note in Ratner’s announcement was that he was looking to locate the factory in Long Island City Queens, which would take jobs out of Brooklyn.     So I called Ratner spokesperson Joe DePlasco, who said the company, is also looking at sites in Brooklyn. A good place to start is northwest Bed-Stuy, which is currently zoned for manufacturing.      Another good spot would be in and around the Brooklyn Navy Yard – also zoned for manufacturing    James Caldwell, president of Brooklyn United for Innovative Development (BUILD), one of the signatories of the Atlantic Yards Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) also hailed the move.     “If it creates jobs in manufacturing it will be a throwback to a different era with a new twist,” said Caldwell, whose non-profit organization is funded by Ratner.     Caldwell noted that it’s very tough for people of color to get into construction unions under the current economic climate.     “It (building part of the project in factories) might be an easier way for people of color to get into the unions,” he said.

Caldwell said since signing the CBA, BUILD has put about 350 people to work either through Ratner or on other Ratner projects throughout the city.      “We’re working on an employment plan for when the arena is built to provide about 1,200 jobs and even more when the affordable housing is built,” he said. “There will be a lot of permanent jobs and small business opportunities at the arena, particularly in customer service and hospitality-type jobs.”     The announcement came as the mostly wealthier and white opponents of the project continue to decry it. Interestingly, some of these people have made opposing the plan a cottage industry and have already benefited from the project.     Caldwell said he finds it interesting that opponent bloggers never even try to tell both sides of the story, and continue to demonize anyone that tries to see both sides of the coin.     “I was just at Cataldo’s Restaurant and Pizzeria on Dean Street and Vanderbilt Avenue and the owner told me how he is doing a great business from arena construction workers,” said Caldwell.      “The bloggers and people against the project don’t talk or write about the positive economic impact the arena has already had in the area,” he added.

Green Movements Grow in Central Brooklyn

Last weekend, November 19-21, the first annual conference to forge food, farming and policy solutions for the Black Community convened at Brooklyn College in New York City, convening farmers, gardeners, activists, students and community leaders from across the nation and around the world.
The 3-day conference, attended by more than 500 people, was hosted by Karen Washington of La Familia Verde and sponsored by Black Urban Growers (BUGS), an alliance of predominately Black urban farmers and food activists.  Farmer Devanie Jackson, who founded with her husband Rev. Robert Jackson the 5,000-square-foot Bed-Stuy Farm facility on Decatur Street in 2004, proudly represented the community in workshops and as a keynote leader.
Participants spent the first day mingling and the last day on a tri-borough tour of community gardens in the City, including the globally known Hattie Carthan Community Garden on Lafayette Avenue.  Other Brooklyn organizations represented at the conference included Weeksville Heritage Center and East New York Farms, among many others.

Participants and presenters came from far and wide to hear Will Allen, an urban farmer, founder and CEO of Growing Power, Inc in Milwaukee, WI,  and a MacArthur genius grant awardee, who opened the conference.  They also gathered to learn from the distinguished Ralph Paige, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives of East Point, Ga., whose keynote closed the conference.

According to Ms. Washington, The conference, aimed to strengthen networks and inspire new ideas among people working across disciplines to address food-related issues that contribute to inequities in health, wealth and justice in black communities.  So why are we compelled to focus on food, farming and justice now, in these embattled times?  Allen and Paige both said in so many words, “we can not afford not to be concerned “about the inequities in a food system that is increasingly alienated from the needs of African Americans and dismissive of their demands.”
NBFC’s shared statistics that also answer the question:
· Our farmers are in peril:  ninety years ago, over 14% of U.S. farmers were African American. It’s now dwindled to about 2%.  In New York State alone, there are only 110 African-American farmers in 56,000.
· Our communities are malnourished and our collective health is suffering.  Nationally, the typical low-income neighborhood has 30 percent fewer supermarkets than higher-income neighborhoods. Nearly 50% of African American children will develop diabetes at some point in their lives. About four out of five African American women are overweight or obese.

· Our communities are dying: Deaths from heart disease and stroke are almost twice the rate for African Americans as compared to Whites.
But the beauty of the 3-day conference is that it offered proactive solutions, the kind that get your hands dirty. Some examples follow:
· Paula Thompson and Trineka Freeman from 42nd and Steele St Parking Lot Farm in Denver shared the story of how they took a parking lot back and made it their paradise.

· In ‘By Any Greens Necessary: Food as a Tool of Colonization and Joining the Resistance’, Jade Walker from the Mill Creek Farm and Chris Borden-Newsome led a discussion on the interconnectedness of oppressions.  They also taught participants how to challenge these negative systems.

· Youth from Brooklyn’s East New York Farms! Joined the conversation on ‘The Next Generation’ along with folks from Real Food Challenge.

·Tanikka Cunningham from Healthy Solutions led the discussion on increasing access to affordable food in communities of color.

· Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min (Muhammad), Minister of Agriculture and Farm Manager, Muhammad Farms of Albany, Ga., talked about the effect of USDA and other goverment policies on Farming and Urban Gardening.  He was joined by Gary Grant, President, Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association of Tillery, N.C.; Spencer D. Wood, PhD, Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS; and Barry Crumbley of the Intact Community Development Corporation in Mt. Vernon, NY.
· Michelle Hughs, Director, GrowNYC: New Farmers Development Program, presented some resources and support services available for all farmers on the local level.
Urban gardeners from Upstate New York and New Jersey, Black farmers from across the country representing the states Wisconsin, Michigan, Mississippi, California and and the nation of Canada learned how  a $5 per foot investment could convert an abandoned parking lot into rich farm land.
To a captive audience, Allen broke his success down to one phrase, “If you’ve got good soil, you can do anything.” Allen then detailed how soil was derived from composting dirt and garbage. “The key to good soil is garbage and access. I was walking yesterday and saw you all have a lot of garbage. For composting, it’s like a smorgasbord.”
The conference  – which featured over 20 breakout sessions on other topics like ending racism in the food industry and the resurgence of the urban black farmer in Denver and Detroit – came on the heels of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act which passed in the U.S. Senate a day before. Among other changes of note, the bill would make public a National Agriculture and Food Defense Strategy that may give opportunities for black farmers.
“This is just the beginning,” said Paige of the need to continue the talk around black and urban farmers.
At the conference, the 2010 Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners George Washington Carver Awards were announced.  Workshop subjects were compelling.  They included: Scaling Up! Creating 100,000 New Farmers: Local and National Resources for Rural and Urban Farmers, Designing Linkages between Upstate Farmers and Downstate Food Desert communities, Undoing Racism in the Food System:  Lessons from the Detroit Struggle, Urban Farming as a Framework for Wholistic Community Development, Young, Black and Gifted: Creating Niche Food Communities, The Next Generation: Youth Creating Food Change, By Any Greens Necessary: Food as a Tool of Colonization and Joining the Resistance and a Place for Us: Black Farmers in the Organic Movement.
For more information, visit: www.blackfarmersconf.org
(Publishers note:  Bernice Elizabeth Green contributed to Mr. Kene’s article.)

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