“Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión couldn’t have had a better audience if he had chosen it himself-, in effect, he did”.
December 14, 2005 (Press Release) --
Bronx, NY December 13, 2005, Last night the weather wasn’t the only thing that was cold in the Bronx. In a scene reminiscent of the bygone days of shady backroom deals and Tammany Hall, Adolfo Carrion’s Public Hearing was packed with imported supporters of the New York Yankees' new stadium project leaving members of the community and organizations like “Save Our Parks” in the cold.
In a brazen mockery of the spirit of the public hearing, an announcement was made around 6:00 PM that everyone find a seat for the doors would be closed once the seats were filled. Even though some of the seats in the courthouse were empty, the doors were still closed.
Over 150 people were locked out, including children and the elderly, with the excuse that allowing more people inside would be a fire hazard.
The people standing in the sub freezing temperatures shouted “Let us in!” for a period of 90 minutes, but were ignored by the Bronx Borough President and his office.
“This is a disgrace!” remarked Christopher Stewart a long - term resident of the South Bronx, as he stood on line.
Things weren’t much better inside where people were called to give testimony on a selective basis. A number of individuals, including several members of “Save Our Parks” were among the first to sign up to speak, but were never called to voice there opinion. A member of Bronx Voices for Equal Inclusion was also “not selected “by Mr. Carrion’s staff.
As 6:00 pm drew near, community and Save Our Parks’ members were told that if one did not get a chance to speak then they could submit written statements to the Bronx Presidents office by Wednesday, December 14, in order to qualify to speak.
Very little publicity was done by the Bronx borough’s president’s office and no one was told that the doors would close shortly after 6:00 Pm. Cleary this was not a hearing intended to give voice to the working families of the Bronx, many of them who needed to travel back to the Bronx to attend the meeting.
One community voice heard from was that of a former NYC public school teacher who spoke very passionately to the Borough president: “I have taught for 32 years in this same community, I have given to the community! Now you want to take my park!”
Yet Yankee Organization president Randy Levine had the audacity to remark: “As the process goes forward, it will become clearer that the people who speak in opposition are professional protesters.”
Professional protesters? Mr. Levine must have been confused referring to the hoard of construction workers who filled the hall en masse shortly after 5:00 pm.
From it’s inception of the project, the project, the community was not notified or consulted nor were the effects of the project ever considered.
The community residents are now more determined than ever to fight. Save Our Parks, a Bronx based grass roots organization, will fight this project into the city council where it will take back the parks and restore respect for all communities in New York City.
In a brazen mockery of the spirit of the public hearing, an announcement was made around 6:00 PM that everyone find a seat for the doors would be closed once the seats were filled. Even though some of the seats in the courthouse were empty, the doors were still closed.
Over 150 people were locked out, including children and the elderly, with the excuse that allowing more people inside would be a fire hazard.
The people standing in the sub freezing temperatures shouted “Let us in!” for a period of 90 minutes, but were ignored by the Bronx Borough President and his office.
“This is a disgrace!” remarked Christopher Stewart a long - term resident of the South Bronx, as he stood on line.
Things weren’t much better inside where people were called to give testimony on a selective basis. A number of individuals, including several members of “Save Our Parks” were among the first to sign up to speak, but were never called to voice there opinion. A member of Bronx Voices for Equal Inclusion was also “not selected “by Mr. Carrion’s staff.
As 6:00 pm drew near, community and Save Our Parks’ members were told that if one did not get a chance to speak then they could submit written statements to the Bronx Presidents office by Wednesday, December 14, in order to qualify to speak.
Very little publicity was done by the Bronx borough’s president’s office and no one was told that the doors would close shortly after 6:00 Pm. Cleary this was not a hearing intended to give voice to the working families of the Bronx, many of them who needed to travel back to the Bronx to attend the meeting.
One community voice heard from was that of a former NYC public school teacher who spoke very passionately to the Borough president: “I have taught for 32 years in this same community, I have given to the community! Now you want to take my park!”
Yet Yankee Organization president Randy Levine had the audacity to remark: “As the process goes forward, it will become clearer that the people who speak in opposition are professional protesters.”
Professional protesters? Mr. Levine must have been confused referring to the hoard of construction workers who filled the hall en masse shortly after 5:00 pm.
From it’s inception of the project, the project, the community was not notified or consulted nor were the effects of the project ever considered.
The community residents are now more determined than ever to fight. Save Our Parks, a Bronx based grass roots organization, will fight this project into the city council where it will take back the parks and restore respect for all communities in New York City.
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