Even Hollywood Understands Privatization

I know it's Hollywood and all, but I just wanted to share that John Cusack ("War, Inc.”) is my “American Idol” de jour as I admire his candid opinion on the degeneration of our collective civic priorities in an interview with Juan Gonzalez for Democracy Now (excerpted below):

JOHN CUSACK: ...You know, when we hear these words like “privatization,” you know, what does that mean? ... [I}t meant outsourcing what you would imagine to be the very core functions of government and the very thing that makes you a state, to turn that into a for-profit business. And we’ve gone so far down the rabbit hole now. So it’s strange and savage times.

TRANSCRIPT FROM “WAR, INC.”

BRAND HAUSER: I like [fill in the blank verb] people as much as the next guy, but I signed up to [fill in the blank verb] the bad ones. Health clinics, trade unionists, journalists, agricultural co-ops, Catholic liberation theologians, impoverished Colombian coffee farmers—these are the barbarians, the depraved opponents of civilization? We turn [fill in the blank neighborhood or nation] into a … graveyard. Whoever momentarily interrupts the accumulation of our wealth, we pulverize. I’m just not feeling good about that anymore, sir.

Randall's Island decision; public school children win!

Courtesy of Leonie Haimson
In an important victory for public school children, parents and community members have won their lawsuit to stop the city from leasing the sports fields on Randall's Island during after school hours to a consortium of 20 private schools for the next 20 years.

As Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich concluded, the amount of land being converted to new use - at least 12 ∏ acres -- far outstrips the 30,000 sq. ft. or 2/3 of an acre that defines a "major concession" according to the City Charter. Thus, this deal requires ULURP, a review process involving the Community Board, the Manhattan Borough President, and the City Council, which never happened in this case.

She rejected the city's argument that this deal was legal because the land would be converted to sports fields first - and then handed over to the private schools after the fact. As she wrote, "The court disagrees with strained interpretation of the Concession, an interpretation designed to evade ULURP review...Essentially respondents attempt to alter reality ...Allowing the City to avoid ULURP review by drafting terms to redefine when a concession has been granted would undermine ULURP's purpose of requiring community input on significant land use decisions regarding public land."

Here are statements from some of the plaintiffs and others involved in bringing this lawsuit:

Eugenia Simmons-Taylor, former president of the Presidents Council in D4 in East Harlem, which was the lead plaintiff: "This is a great victory for public school children as well as the community as a whole. I'm thrilled that we were able to stop this unjust deal before it went through. Now the community and our elected representatives will have a chance to have their say."

Matthew Washington, a member of the Community Board 11 in East Harlem and another plaintiff: "We're happy to have an opportunity to do the right thing for all the children in this city."

David Bloomfield, a member of the Citywide Council on High Schools, also a plaintiff: "The sad lesson of the Randall's Island litigation is that elites have no business making decisions for those with less money or influence. From the first, the city and the Randall's Island Sports Foundation should have included parents, schools, and the community at the negotiating table. Instead, the courts have been forced to ensure these rights and in so doing have made sure that there will be quality recreational facilities for all children."

Patrick Sullivan, the Manhattan appointee of the Panel for Educational Policy, who did the much of the initial research showing that this deal was illegal: "The public school parents and community activists of East Harlem have won a great victory on behalf of all the city's children. Public athletic fields must not be sold via special invitation to the well connected. The city must now put forward a plan for equitable access to the Randall's Island fields. "

Geoffrey Croft, President of NYC Park Advocates, "We are delighted at this outcome, but this deal never should have been allowed to go forward in the first place. I hope the city doesn't appeal the decision. It would be a waste of taxpayer money and would violate the important principle that public parks should be for the public and not for private interests."

Marina Ortiz, founder of East Harlem Preservation and another plaintiff: “I am elated that Judge Kornreich made a just and proper decision in annulling the illegal bid to construct new sports fields on Randall's Island. Now that their private steamship has been docked for due process, perhaps the Randall’s Island Sport Foundation will be more sensitive to the needs and concerns of local youth. I am confident that East Harlem and South Bronx residents will appreciate the opportunity to voice their needs and concerns, and I will work to ensure a more transparent and democratic process with regards to the disposition of public parkland in our communities.”

The case was argued pro bono by attorneys Norman Siegel and Alan Klinger, Faith Kaminsky Cohen and Christina Weis of Stroock, Stroock and Lavan.

We all owe them tremendous thanks. A summary from the NYLJ is below.

Judge Annuls Approval of New Fields on Randall's Island
New York Law Journal, January 31, 2008

Approval of a bid to construct new sports fields and revamp 36 existing fields on Randall's Island has been annulled by a state judge. Supreme Court Justice Shirley Werner Kornreich of Manhattan held that concessions granted by the city's Franchise Concession Review Committee to the Randall's Island Sports Foundation and a group of 20 private schools was not properly reviewed under the New York City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. The agreement provides for the city to allocate more than $65 million for field improvements and grants the foundation permission to use and maintain the fields and the schools annual permits for 20 years to use two-thirds of the fields during after-school peak hours. The concession period would begin when 75 percent of the playing fields are substantially complete. Section 374 of the city charter provides that a "major concession" must be reviewed under the review procedure. Justice Kornreich (See Profile) rejected the city's argument that the new fields, on 12.5 acres, fall under an existing use exemption to the review procedure because construction on the land will be substantially completed and "in use" at the onset of the concession period.

District 4 Presidents' Council v. Franchise and Concession Review Judgment Committee, 108327/07, will be published Tuesday. - Noeleen G. Walder

http://www.law.com/jsp/nylj/index.jsp

Our Lady Queen of Angels: Testing the Faith of East Harlem Residents

“God has set [Christians] in the world as His sentinels and they may not leave their posts." -- St. Justin Martyr

Sunday Mass Continues at Our Lady Queen of Angels, Padlocks Notwithstanding

Despite recent arrests after a 37-hour vigil to protest the imminent closing of their spiritual "home away from home," dozens of parishioners returned to Our Lady Queen of Angels Roman Catholic Church for their usual Sunday morning assembly.

Things were a bit different this time around, however, as the congregation could find no local priest willing to defy warnings issued by the Archdiocese of New York against officiating the February 18 ceremony. Still, church members and supporters braved cold weather and icy streets to gather before the now-shuttered church.

Led by Carmen Villegas, a parishioner for over 33 years, worshippers held a bilingual outdoor ceremony, chanting spiritual hymns and reciting biblical verses before half a dozens television cameras.

"We are going to keep fighting and we're going to win," declared the 52-year-old parish council member as supporters chanted "Save our church!"

Built in 1886 to serve German immigrants, the East 113th Street church has served hundred of thousands throughout its 121-year history.

Despite its having the only wheelchair ramp for elderly and disabled Catholic worshippers within 10 blocks, the 400-member parish is one of 21 churches targeted for closing by the Archdiocese of New York in response to a “shortage of priests,” “dwindling attendance,” and “demographic changes” throughout its jurisdiction.

According to the Archdiocese, the “parish realignment decisions” are the culmination of an extensive three-year planning process, established by Edward Cardinal Egan, “designed to identify the religious, spiritual, and education needs of the Catholic faithful throughout the entire Archdiocese, and determine how those needs could best be met. While the Realignment process has now concluded, the Archdiocese will continue the process of strategic planning for the spiritual good of God's People and the strengthening of its parishes and institutions.”

Gentrification works in mysterious ways

Although the Daily News reported that none of the properties in the city parishes earmarked for closing is up for sale, many in East Harlem are not so sure.

East Harlem Chamber of Commerce President Henry Calderon was thus inspired to channel a gospel ballad “Calling All Angels” in his trumpet call to action.

“Cardinal Egan has decreed that some of his tax-exempt properties can no longer continue to save souls because they are losing dollars,” waxed Calderon in one of his oft-poetic emails. “When does a Church stop being a Church? Is it just a bookkeeping decision? Is the mission of our Church now found in a Business Plan instead of in the Bible?”

After learning about the planned closing of their parish last year, active members of the church convened a working group, the Families of Our Lady Queen of Angels, chaired by Villegas.

The group then created a business plan outlining actions to prevent the closing, but their efforts were overruled by the Archdiocese.

On February 9, the church door locks were changed. "We realized then, that they wanted to kick us out," said Villegas.

She then asked for support from experienced groups such as the Council of Parishes and Voice of the Faithful, two Boston-based groups that have fought church closings in their area.

On Sunday, February 11, Villegas and several other parishioners and supporters, including Peter Borré, co-chairman of the Council of Parishes, decided to remain after mass in a peaceful vigil intended to prevent the closing of their beloved church.

The following afternoon, members of the group held a press conference outside of the church to reiterate their rationale. “We don’t want to disobey the church,” explained Villegas, “but we do want to be here to pray and worship where we feel comfortable.”

Rather than meet with the parishioners, the Archdiocese released a statement that read, in part, “As a result of this regrettable event and the possibility of future events of this kind. It has been decided that the parish is to be closed immediately.”

Bibles and Bodyguards

The tension grew worse when Monsignor Dennis Mathers, Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese, arrived at the church with several burly, intimidating guards. Soon after, parishioners were ordered to leave Our Lady Queen of Angels or be arrested.

Unwilling to abandon their convictions, Ms. Villegas and five other parishioners, Gladys Mestre, Patricia Rodriguez, Alba-Delice Rijos, Juanita Ortiz and Maria Mante, called on Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito and officers from the 23rd Precinct for protection.

They were then gently arrested on trespassing charges by local officers and politely led out of the church in handcuffs.

“We are deeply saddened by the arrest of Catholics by the Archdiocese of New York, who has failed in his pastoral duty,” wrote Villegas in a statement. “Vigils are a Catholic tradition going back many centuries, and it was disturbing to have this ancient tradition violated.”

A witness to the February 12 arrest, the Councilwoman says she was also disturbed at the “strong-arm tactics exhibited by agents hired and stationed at the church to intimidate and bully.”

In a February 16 letter, Mark-Viverito urged Cardinal Egan to meet with the parishioners to engage in a “good faith dialogue.”

“Our Lady Queen of Angels has served as a safe haven and a refuge for those willing to express their devotion and be consoled in times of grief and despair,” she wrote. “The vigil did not stem from defiance, but of deep love taught to them by their faith.”

“To have these individuals meet with such retaliatory and aggressive behavior by the institution to which they have been faithful appears to defy the very principles of Christianity they have been taught,” Mark-Viverito added.

The Archdiocese has yet to respond.

Villegas and others plan to bless parishioners with ashes this week on Ash Wednesday, February 21, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and vow to continue their Sunday morning assemblies.

The congregation also plans to work to preserve the church through landmarking and other legal measures with the support of Councilwoman Mark-Viverito, and others.

Supporters are being encouraged to attend the arrestees’ Criminal Court hearing, scheduled for 9:30 am on Friday, April 20th at 346 Broadway.

Catholic Dissidence is Not New

Throughout its history, the Roman Catholic Church has faced many challenges from progressive rebels.

St. Jeanne d'Arc, was a young French soldier who fought to recover her homeland from English domination during the Hundred Years War. After a politically motivated mock trial in 1421, the 19-year-old heroine was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake when she said she'd been guided by "angels and saints from heaven." In 1445, the Church relented and her conviction was overturned. Jeanne d'Arc was canonized in 1920.

In 1933, Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin established the Catholic Worker Movement, a spiritual organization that actively supports labor unions and human rights. Since its inception, members have often been jailed for acts of protest against racism, unfair labor practices, social injustice and war.

Today, Carmen Villegas and other East Harlem residents have passed a more modern test of faith and have taken religious militancy to an entirely new level: the simple preservation of an ordinary house of worship.

The New Randalls Island: Separate and Unequal?

Under the Randalls Island Sports Foundation’s “New Deal,” local public schools would have priority access to 20 ball fields from 3 to 6 pm. What this actually means is that the majority of children in East Harlem and the South Bronx would have to skip their school lessons or their dinner in order to play ball during daytime hours throughout the school year.

More precisely, the contract would mostly benefit students from out-of-district private institutions during those crucial after-school hours. Yet the names of those private schools remain a mystery to folks uptown since the Foundation has repeatedly failed to provide a list of the schools in writing during meetings in East Harlem.

One can’t help but wonder: How many of those private schools, which the Foundation describes as “responsible user groups,” have representatives serving on the Board of Trustees of the Randalls Island Sports Foundation. Or, rather, how many members of the board have a human, monetary or professional interest in these institutions.

Even without those details, it’s obvious that the residents of East Harlem have been working on a separate and unequal playing field with regards to the planning of this New Deal. But, just because something has always been done a certain way does not necessarily mean that it is just. This was true during the civil rights movement and it remains true today.

Since at least the latter part of the 20th Century, every citizen - of every age and income – could enjoy free and public access to city parks. Today, hundreds - if not thousands – of acres of parkland are being systematically turned over to private developers and institutions and, in many cases, permanently removed from free and open public use. It would appear that we are moving backward.

This is especially troublesome considering the fact that public funding for parks remains at an all time low at just .04 percent of the city budget even though we enjoy a $3.9 billion surplus.

East Harlem Preservation opposes the alienation of city parkland without due process and the recent moves by this administration to restrict the rights of other elected officials to review private concessions involving city properties.

We support the call for a more thorough annual accounting of private funding of city parks, including oversight hearings on park concessions and greater transparency in public-private partnerships.

Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC project purports to design a city in which all citizens will be able to access a park within a 10 minutes walking distance. The question is: will this parkland be free - or will we have to pay to play, as is now the trend?

For most East Harlem residents - under whose jurisdiction Randalls Island lies – this “New Deal” (and the Parks Department’s “New Math”) is clearly a return to customs we’ve fought too hard to revisit.

Testimony Presented By East Harlem Preservation During the City Council Committee on Parks & Recreation’s Oversight Hearing on Status of the Possible Exclusive Use of the Athletic Fields on Randall's Island by NYC Private Schools, January 31, 2007.

Marie Dickson: The Eastern Star of Board 11

East Harlem mourned the loss of veteran community advocate Eulalia “Marie” Dickson, who died January 5 at the age of 83.

Hundreds of local residents, friends, and colleagues of Ms Dickson attended a viewing held January 11 at the Johnstone Funeral Chapel in East Harlem.

The service was presided over by Father Mario Guarino and the Reverend Ill. Bro. Howard Breedy 33º and included scripture readings from the Old and New Testaments and reflections by a number of local officials and members of various civic, nonprofit, and fraternal organizations.

“We were all truly blessed to have had such a great person of her stature in our Order,” offered Sister Sheila Grant, Order of the Eastern Stars Grand Deputy of New York and the Country of Canada, a fraternal organization with which Ms. Dickson had been affiliated for over 50 years.

Sister Grant, who handled all the arrangements for Marie’s service and published the memorial program “Celebration of Life” – which aptly described her as “a woman of pride, grace and dignity” – then invited others to share their thoughts.

Community Board 11 was eloquently represented as Vice Chair Deborah Quinones, Treasurer Cesar Ortiz, Secretary Frances Mastrota, and Parks Committee Chair Robert McCullough spoke passionately about Ms. Dickson’s remarkable might and her steadfast support and commitment.

Dozens of other community board members came to pay their respects, as did the entire board staff. Also in attendance were many East Harlem notables, including Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, State Senators José M. Serrano and Bill Perkins, Northern Manhattan Borough Commander Raymond Diaz, Captain Edward Caban of the 25th Precinct, Deputy Inspector David Colon of the 23rd Precinct, 23rd Precinct Council President Cesar Vasquez, members of the Franklin Plaza Board of Directors, Aimee Boden, Jonathan Greengrass, and Sabina Ellentuck of the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, Barbara Brenner of Mt. Sinai, Kathy Benson of the Museum of the City of New York, Carmen Vasquez of Hope Community, Taller Boricua director Fernando Salicrup, Robert and David Acosta of El Barrio Hardware, and East-Harlem.com editor Jose B. Rivera.

After many poignant eulogies, visitors were then invited to repair to the community room in Ms. Dickson’s Franklin Plaza building on First Avenue for an evening repass.

A mass was held the following morning at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in East Harlem. The January 12 service was presided over by Father Mario Guarino and other members of the church, and included beautifully sung arias such as Gounod’s “Ave Maria.”

Afterward, Community Board 11 Chair Robert Rodriguez delivered a statement on behalf of Congressman Charles B. Rangel, which read in part, “In all of my years, serving as a Member of Congress for the 15th Congressional District, Marie Dickson has served right along with me. It will not feel the same knowing that [she] will not be around to watch my back here in East Harlem as she has done for me all the years. Eulalia 'Marie' Dickson was God's gift to East Harlem and, her legacy will be spirited through all the work that will be done on behalf of her undying commitment to the people.”

Ms. Dickson was then buried in Forest Green Memorial Park in Morganville, New Jersey.

Biography

Affectionately known as Marie, Ms. Dickson was born July 20, 1923 in Atlantic City, New Jersey to Brilliant Victory and Matilda Belinda Vasquez.

An only child, Marie later relocated with her family to the Catskills section of New York. She later graduated from Kingston High School and Columbia University.

Ms. Dickson then married the late Arnold Andrue Carson, Sr., with whom she bore her only son, Arnold Carson.

Marie worked in the accounting department of the Elgin Operating Corporation for over 32 years, and later ran several small businesses in East Harlem. After her retirement, she continued to work diligently with many church and civic groups.

Ms. Dickson was a charter member of the Order of the Eastern Star, and the first Worthy Matron of the group’s Empire State Chapter No. 44. She also served as president of the Matrons & Patrons Council, Honored Associate Royal Matron of Amaranth Truth Court No. 2; Queen Mother of King Solomon Palace No. 2; Grand OES & Amaranth Deputy for the State of New York and the Country of Canada; OES School Director and Instructor; and President of the Eleven Builders and Pelican Club. As the group’s Travel Coordinator, Marie became a world traveler with junkets to Egypt and other countries.

Marie was also a long-time member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church where she served on four committees. She served as President of the board of directors of Franklin Plaza Apartments and was the founder of the Annual Franklin Plaza Family Day Celebration. Ms. Dickson was also an active member of the 23rd Precinct Community Council and Merchants Association.

Formerly, she’d served as an elected Democratic County Committee Person, treasurer and member of the James Weldon Johnson Community Center; an auxiliary police officer with the 23rd Precinct, volunteer for the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, assistant art director of Green Gallery, Inc., and member of the East Harlem Interfaith Board of Directors.

As a member of Community Board 11 for over 27 years, Ms. Dickson served on nine committees, was chair of the Youth Committee for over 10 years, and most recently served as Chair of the Public Safety and Transportation Committee.

“Marie was extremely intelligent and well-liked,” recalls fellow board member Daniel Perez, who first met Marie in 1978 while he was with the Community Assistance Unit. “Her work with the Youth Committee will stand as a measure for generations to come.”

During her tenure, Ms. Dickson led the initiative for the renovation of Jefferson Park and advocated tirelessly for drug rehabilitation and youth prevention programs. She also founded “Youth Speak-Out,” an annual conference that provided a forum in which local youth could articulate their concerns and be matched with related neighborhood programs. In 1989, Marie dedicated a portion of the annual “Youth Speak-Out” to the “Central Park Jogger” case to allow local teens to address the issue.

Under her leadership, the Youth Committee also published a newsletter and an annual directory of youth services in East Harlem, and surveyed hundreds of youth each year, the results of which were used to target committee priorities for the coming year.

“Marie Dickson ran a very tight ship and had high expectations for all her committee members,” said Deborah Quinones, Vice Chair of Community Board 11. “Her standard for commitment was exceptional, always giving 100% to every committee on which she served. Marie also had a very long memory; she was our encyclopedia and could detail the history of any one issue.”

In an effort to ensure that youth-funded programs were actually servicing East Harlem youth, Ms. Dickson would instruct Youth Committee members to review funding proposals and conduct site visits to each applicant agency, recalled Ms. Quinones. Two programs that Marie set her particular sights on were the Asphalt Green Sports Center, and the Randalls Island Sports Foundation.

Under Marie’s leadership, the Youth Committee convinced Asphalt Green to arrange bus pickups of local youth to the Upper East Side location. And as a result of her work with the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, the agency established the “Marie Dickson Award of Excellence” in 2005 for members of the Jesse Owens Track and Field Club.

“East Harlem lost its most devoted resident [and] the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation has lost a true friend in Ms. Dickson, whose passion and persistence for keeping our city’s under-resourced youth active and in good health was unparalleled,” said RISF Executive Director, Aimee Boden. “East Harlem never knew a greater community advocate. RISF will miss her encouragement, both on and off the field.”

When asked what might be the best form of public recognition for her many years of community service, Ms. Quinones said, “The best way to acknowledge Marie’s contributions would be to follow her example and commitment to engaging in the civic process. Marie was concerned about the wasting away of character, integrity and respect for the work that we do. We need to maintain that same standard of excellence.”

Eulalia “Marie” Dickson is survived by her son Arnold Carson, granddaughter Janee’ Nicole Jones, three great grandchildren Rayshord, Briana and Kandace of Virginia Beach; a cousin, Bobby Fields of Washington, D.C., and hundred of friends and colleagues.

Alienation of Park Land Continues with Water Park “Development” on Randalls Island

The New York Times again reported on the alarming friendship between New York State Senate’s majority leader Joseph L. Bruno and Jared E. Abbruzzese, an investor with Empire Racing Associates, which was awarded an operating franchise for the state’s thoroughbred horseracing tracks.

According to the Times, Abbruzzese’s nanotechnology firm, Evident Technologies, also received $500,000 in state money and had help from Bruno in obtaining $2.5 million in state aid for a joint development project.

What does any of this have to do with a Water Park on Randalls Island?

Abbruzzese is also an investor with the Aquatic Development Group, "winners" of a sole-source bid in 2000 for the 35-year Water Park concession, which City Comptroller William Thompson called a “seriously flawed process.”

Aquatic recently bailed out of a public hearing at the New York City Industrial Development Agency regarding $215,000,000 million bond funding. With no explanation, the company announced that it would instead seek private funding for the project.

The Randalls Island Sports Foundation said the Aquatic Development Group withdrew its bid for IDA bonds simply because it had secured private funding. When asked to name those funding sources, however, The Foundation admitted that Aquatic is still in the process of acquiring investors.

Perhaps the decision had more to do with media reports about Aquatic’s prior brush with bankruptcy in the 1990s or the failure of its president, Herb Ellis, to repay a $1.5 million loan to the Albany IDA.

The New York City Parks Department apparently suffers from the same lack of integrity. Under the leadership of Parks Commissioner Adrian Benape, with the blessing of Mayors Guiliani and Bloomberg, thousands of acres of public land have been systematically turned over to private developers and, in many cases, permanently removed from free and open public use.

On Randalls Island, the Water Park has grown from 12 acres to 26 acres, an area covering the northwestern portion of the island. Construction for the site will also greatly limit the number of ball fields available, with remaining fields most likely awarded to grandfathered permit holders from out-of-district private schools.

Although the Randalls Island Sports Foundation claims that public view of the river will not be blocked by the perimeter fencing or the water park (which will sit on sunken land), the developer’s description of “water slides rising 80 feet into the skyline” does not provide much reassurance. Certainly, public access to the shore will be severely hampered.

With an estimated 1.3 million visitors each year, the Water Park will greatly increase vehicular traffic to and from the island – thus releasing volumes of asthma-producing gas fumes and carcinogens into the atmosphere over the island and surrounding areas.

While the Foundation dismisses claims of environmental risk or damage as “nonsense,” it is a simple fact that that many visitors will also produce that much more pollution – not to mention noise, crime, garbage and contaminated groundwater draining into the nearby Harlem River. Provisions to preserve tranquility in nearby parkland, meanwhile, have never been offered.

The Foundation claims the Water Park is needed to help fund island maintenance and sports activities, yet it provides no details or reports on such financing. Likewise, the Foundation does not provide financial data on concert/stadium event revenue.

Aside from 300 (presumably entry-level) jobs and a few free tickets tossed to targeted agencies negotiated by Community Board 11, the Water Park will provide no direct and lasting financial benefit to neighboring communities.

Clearly, East Harlem Preservation cannot support a Water Park on Randalls Island.

We oppose a process that Comptroller Thompson called "flawed and inconsistent with well-established principles of public bidding."

We oppose a plan that defies sound environmental and fiscal logic.

We oppose a business that will generate millions of dollars each year with little benefit to the East Harlem community.

We oppose the recent move by Mayor Bloomberg to restrict the rights of other elected officials to review private concessions involving city properties.

We oppose the State Senate majority leader exerting influence over local matters on behalf of their wealthy associates.

Most importantly, we oppose the alienation of precious parkland without due process.

Although Commissioner Benape claims the Water Park will serve a “park use,” it will only do so minimally and for a cost. For East Harlem residents - under whose jurisdiction Randalls Island lies - that is a price too high to pay.

Julia de Burgos Remembered

On Friday, October 27, 2006, Iris Consuelo Burgos unveiled an historic mosaic by artist Manny Vega honoring her sister, Julia de Burgos, the revered Boricua poet. The ceremony took place in the heart of East Harlem’s “Cultural Corridor” on the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and East 106th Street.

The mosaic initiative was organized by Marina Ortiz and Debbie Quinones of East Harlem Preservation and funded by JPMorgan Chase, Congressman Charles B. Rangel, Hope Community, Inc., the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, State Senator José M. Serrano, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and many local supporters.

The momentous occasion also marked the announcement by El Museo del Barrio and Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito of the re-naming of East 106th Street from Fifth Avenue to First Avenue in honor of Julia de Burgos, one of the few instances of a street being named after a Puerto Rican woman of high accomplishments.

The homage to Julia de Burgos compliments Councilwomen Mark-Viverito and El Museo de Barrio’s exceptional initiative to rename East 106th Street in honor of the famous poet. East Harlem residents and visitors will feel an increased sense of pride as they see the mosaic while strolling down the Julia de Burgos Boulevard.

The mosaic unveiling and press conference was followed by a noon reception hosted by El Taller Boricua in the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center at 1680 Lexington Avenue. The lunch-time gathering offered typical Latino appetizers and refreshments.

About Julia de Burgos

Born on February 17, 1914, Julia de Burgos was one of the most important and beloved Puerto Rican poets working in New York in the first half of the twentieth century. Modern critics believe that de Burgos’s poetry anticipated the work of feminist writers and poets as well as that of other Hispanic authors. De Burgos published several books including; Poemas Exactos de mí Misma, Poemas en Veinte Zurcos and Canción de la Verdad Sencilla. She received several honors and homages before and after her death. De Burgos died in East Harlem, on July 6, 1953 at the early age of 39.