Closing Bell: HOD Rally Coming Next Week
The opponents of a City plan to spend $500 million of taxpayer money to expand that Brooklyn House of Detention are planning to start the new year with a bang. The coalition, which includes pols like State Senator Eric Adams and Council Members David Yassky and Letitia James as well as local community groups, will…
The opponents of a City plan to spend $500 million of taxpayer money to expand that Brooklyn House of Detention are planning to start the new year with a bang. The coalition, which includes pols like State Senator Eric Adams and Council Members David Yassky and Letitia James as well as local community groups, will be holding a rally on January 6 at 9 a.m. in Cadman Plaza Park in front of the courthouse. The group has proposed an alternative vision for the site: Affordable housing plus a public middle school.
I don’t think that I’m out of my mind to believe that after the city spent all of that money to renovate the jail, it would be torn down (at millions of addtional dollars) to build a school and affordable housing and a middle school. (More additional dollars.)
So then, we might propose to retrofit the jail for affordable housing and a new middle school. Hmmmm….Those less well off and let’s face it most of the kids who would attend the middle school reside in the NYCHA housing abutting Dumbo….Can we say this NIMBYISM is classism at its worse? The jail has been in Brooklyn for several decades. Its proximity to the court houses facilitates the transportation of inmates for their trials. It’s actually more secure than the Dept. of Corrections buses rolling through our neighborhoods.
Now, let’s not forget that the city council has voted itself a term extension and there will be an election next year. Yassky’s plan to give himself a promotion has been spoiled on two fronts. Una Clarke’s organization elevated her daughter Yvette (the one who forgot that she didn’t graduate from Oberlin) to the congressional seat finally vacated by Major Owens. (Una was a Major protege.) And now with term limits, its clear that Yassky doesn’t believe he could win a citywide seat. Can someone, please tell me what Senator Adam’s plans are for leaving Albany? I can figure out who will replace him. (The new male district leader from Assemblymen’s Jefferies district, Walter Mosley.) But I can’t for the life of me figure out where Senator Adams would go. For the moment, I’ll leave Councilwoman James’ play to constituents as feathering her future nest for office down the road. (Perhaps a Congressional seat after being Council Speaker.) Councilwoman could remain in her seat with the term extension until 2013.
So at the end of the day, it’s not about the constitutents, it’s about the electeds future paychecks.
Give me a break!
oh yes, as I said before. Great idea a middle school across State St from Criminal Court building (which makes fed Parole office look like a Romper Room compared to characters charged at the court bldg) and border it with Boerum place raceway to Brooklyn Bridge and Atlantic avenue speedway on other side for good measure and safety.
You go Yassky!!
This really is too bad. Didn’t the city tear down a rather large lockup near the Navy Yard not too long ago?
And $500,000,000…. For how many prisoners?
At $250k per cell, thats 2,000 prisoners. Why can’t they do like the feds did and grab a chunk of Sunset park? Talk about pork.
And, FWIW, those alternative uses are a joke. Is there some really bad playbook all the politicians and community groups work from?
Good luck with that pols. What a farce.