November 27th—First Post-Sandy Housing Action: Citywide Call from NYCHA Residents

November 27th—First Post-Sandy Housing Action:

Citywide Call from NYCHA Residents

Contact: RedHookPeoplesPress@gmail.com, (347) 201-3356

Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 – 9:00am to 11:00am

Address: 250 Broadway

NYCHA headquarters

New York City, New York  10007

United States

When Hurricane Sandy slammed NYC, hundreds of thousands were left without power, heat,

and running water; NYCHA did not respond for a week, and to this day many public housing

residents remain without basic services. On November 19th, exactly three weeks after the

stormwaters swelled, NYCHA finally held its first hearing on the matter, in Red Hook.

As NYCHA lauded its own response, one woman asked why the first time she saw a NYCHA

official at her door was when a representative knocked to inform her of the November 19th

hearing. Hands high in the air, voices pitched, residents stood up and without exception decried

the board’s lack of swift response, concern, or accountability to their severe living conditions.

“They’re telling us nothing, they’re wasting our time,” said one resident as she left.

“When Obama won, I didn’t hear any jubilation—because the projects were dark,” noted

another.

Residents agreed that local Red Hook residents should be employed during the rebuilding

process. As one person exclaimed, “If you’re talking about rebuilding anywhere in Red Hook,

you need to rebuild everywhere in Red Hook,” all nodded; and another added, “We need a

guarantee that we’re not going to suffer like this again.”Dozens of others left the hearing midway in disgust, heading instead to a Red Hook community

assembly, organized by participants of various Red Hook recovery efforts and Occupy Sandy,

just down the street.

“How are we supposed to buy food and Christmas presents?” said one neighbor, “We need a

rent credit for now, not January 1st.”

“No services, no rent,” another affirmed.

After about an hour, 50-some Red Hook residents had come to consensus, putting out a call for

NYCHA residents from Red Hook and across the city to gather at NYCHA’s front doors and

there demand cancellation of 2 months’ rent.

This assembly of Red Hook NYCHA residents invites all NYCHA residents across NYC, as well

as allies of affordable housing and community justice, to come together on November 27th to

make the following demands:

*Immediately: 2 month rent credit for November and December (speed up and extend NYCHA’s

promised rent credit for January).

*Long-term (to be added to): Hold moratorium on evictions. Increase and ensure sufficient

federal disaster relief funding to NYCHA. Replace NYCHA board with a community-led board.

Employ NYCHA residents for intensive building repairs instead of outsourcing jobs. Implement

long-term alternative power and weather-prepared solutions. Enact general accountability and

transparency to residents.

*Next step: Pressure NYCHA board meeting on December 5, 10am, same location.

Join your neighbors across NYC on November 27th as we call for real changes at NYCHA!