Randy’s Testimony

My name is Randy and I am a board member of FUREE (Families United for Racial & Economic Equality.

If we looked up and around City development, everywhere New Yorkers are being squeezed out of their own city. I am here to speak about the lease transfer of Albee Square, which includes the request to sell our land. I call Albee Square our land because rightfully we, the working class people and tax payer of NYC, fund and sustain the city. City officials, including HPD, have been entrusted to guide developments that serve the needs of working class people.  This development is one more example of the City making the rich richer at the expense of working people; today, we have a shopping mall and businesses for working class people, tomorrow it is more luxury condos for the filthy-rich.

The City can not continue to ignore the devastation of the 2004 rezoning in Downtown Brooklyn. The approval of this plan is the approval of displacement of our neighborhood. Wealthy developers only profit from this Rezoning. Not only did IDA gave Albee Sq. LLC 3.2 Million tax dollars but now a projected 150 Million tax dollars just to include one floor of office space and 200 units of so call “affordable housing”. The bulk of this development stands to displace most of downtown Brooklyn working class communities and neighborhood businesses. DO YOU THINK DISPLACING US IS WHAT WE HAVE ENTRUST THE CITY TO DO?

We are tired of developers coming into our neighborhood with the support of EDC and now HPD in pushing us out. It is clear that the voices and integrity of people of color are excluded from the decision making process when the city choose eminent domain to build a parking-lot through historic safe houses on Duffield street, and now one thousand condos over the demand for affordable housing on city land.

City land is our land, and it should be used for affordable housing and to benefit the community that lives, works & shops in this area. For over 50 years, we the residents, neighborhood business, teachers, fathers, mother, have---lived, sustained and developed Brooklyn. Now, we are no longer welcome. HPD and City say Albee square development is what’s best for us, but they refuse to sit down with us to find out what our real concerns are.

 I am here on behalf of 500 families within FUREE membership which are apposed to the cheap sale of Albee Square Land. No less than 100% of affordable housing will be acceptable on city land.