From ACLU (non-partisan)

DELETE DISCRIMINATORY REGISTRATION [NSEERS] 

This program is not only discriminatory and dangerous – it’s completely ineffective as a security measure.

In its nearly ten years of operation, NSEERS did not produce a single terrorism conviction. Even Homeland Security’s Inspector General – the DHS watchdog – said the program was unreliable and a waste of taxpayers’ money.

At any time, any US President can reactivate the dormant NSEERS program with the flip of a switch – unless the current President Obama takes action now. Please sign petition.

The NSEERS “special” registration system was put in place by President George W. Bush in the aftermath of 9/11.

President Obama discontinued NSEERS in 2011 but left the regulatory framework on the books, ready to be reactivated at any time. If the Obama administration rescinds the regulation now, that will terminate the program, leaving nothing for the next administration to reactivate.

Two items:

A Wall Street Journal  report:” Chinese Developers Reassess U.S. Projects: Headwinds emerge as Beijing plans to tighten rules on investment capital leaving the country “

The neighborhood is NOT ‘confident’ that this proposed “luxury project is a great addition to LES”.

Particularly those who need this facility right now: the elderly & others in desperate need of 24/7 skilled care.

And particularly those who called this AIDS nursing facility their home.

And particularly those almost 300 1199 workers who devoted their work lives to this place/these residents.

We miss our neighbors. We miss being the community that welcomed those living with AIDS/HIV especially in this week of honoring that struggle.

“In New York, Shenzhen-based China Vanke Co. faced a setback earlier this year after a joint venture with two local developers, Slate Property Group and Adam America Real Estate, to build luxury apartments on 45 Rivington St. stalled.
The consortium in February paid $116 million for the project to Allure Group, which had managed to remove a controversial deed restriction that would have allowed the former nonprofit nursing home to be converted into for-profit apartments.
An outcry over the transaction prompted investigations by the New York City comptroller, Department of Investigation, federal prosecutors and the state attorney general into the circumstances that led to the deed change.
The project is now at a standstill. “There are a number of complications that could arise in any development project… said Kai-yan Lee, managing director at Vanke Holdings U.S.A.
The joint venture investors said they look forward to moving ahead as soon as the city concludes its review. “We have every confidence that the project will be a great addition to the Lower East Side community,” said a representative for the joint venture, Rivington Street Investors.”

And from the Lo-Down (who broke the story) One Year Ago Today:

“Rivington Street Nursing Center Closes Next Week; Relocation Anticipated”

From Winston Churchill (who knew a thing or two about so-called ‘hopeless battles”):

“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”

“The pessimist sees the problems in every opportunity. Whereas the optimist sees the opportunity in every problem”

1) Urban soils symposium on Dec 9th at Brooklyn College.

The symposium is for discussion about all the aspects of soils in the city seeking out problems and solutions! There will be a variety of presenters-from technical and non-technical backgrounds. Two roundtables: one for compost, and one for greenroof soils. Registration and information can be found here

 2) Resources for Chinatown & LES residents  – Man. Borough Presidents Office:

– Know your rights trainings to community members on how to get repairs (flyers below)

– 2017 tax filing updates (12/17, 1/21, 2/18) at VNSNY located at 7 Mott Street. (flyers below)

– Flyers for the Chinatown Community Center Open House on 12/14 at VNSNY. (flyers below)

– Know Your Rights “ICE Home Raids & Community Arrests” Immigrant Defense Project

3) Rally to oppose multi-billion plan to subsidize upstate nuclear plants.

Standing Rock:

From Wendy: 

With all that’s at stake right now, and to honor the courage of the Native people protecting the waters,

Let’s meet in front of the National American Indian Museum at 10:30am on Thanksgiving (it opens at 10am, 1 Bowling Green)

We’ll walk over to the Labyrinth of Peace which is inside Battery Park, in the green section just north of the round Clinton Castle. Give Thanks. 

We can go on our way by 1130 or return to see the Museum’s exhibitions. Let’s contribute, call and reach out, as described here, too. 

Villager: “‘Father of LEED’ hopes to help spark LES Park building’s return to use“

We sang “The Star Spangled Banner”

As one dad said to his son: “We may not see your friends here – but everyone here is your friend”

What better antidote to the questions parents have been asked this week?

A few thousand came to be reminded of the power of ‘us’.

It is, after all, our country too. We are going to claim it in ways we may never have imagined.

Hawk sitings in SDR Park, Gardens’ last bursts of color, fall trees, sky & friends.

Rivington House: windows left open cause for concern and graffitied statement.

From State Senator Squadron:

Dear Friend,

Please join me tomorrow at Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn Heights to stand against hate in our backyard, our city, and our country.

MEDIA ADVISORY

SQUADRON,  BEASTIE BOY “AD-ROCK,” VELÁZQUEZ, JAMES, LANDER, LEVIN, ELECTEDS, COMM LEADERS STAND UP AGAINST HATE MESSAGES IN ADAM YAUCH PARK

Squadron, Community Come Together to Denounce Hate and Intimidation in Brooklyn and Across the Country

NEW YORK – TOMORROW (SUNDAY), State Senator Daniel Squadron, Beastie Boys member Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Public Advocate James, City Councilmembers Stephen Levin & Brad Lander, elected officials, community and faith leaders will come together to stand against a hate incident at Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn Heights. On Friday, Squadron’s office received a call regarding multiple swastikas and the message “Go Trump” appearing in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn Heights (picture below). 

The constituent and Squadron’s office connected with the NYPD and Park Department, who removed the hate messages and are in the process of investigating the incident.

WHO: State Senator Daniel Squadron, Beastie Boys member Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Congresswoman Velázquez, Public Advocate James, Councilmembers Lander & Levin, elected officials, community and faith leaders

WHAT: Stand up against hate in Brooklyn, NYC, and our country

WHEN: TOMORROW, Sunday (11/20), 11:30am

WHERE: Adam Yauch Park, State St (Btwn Columbia & Willow Place), Brooklyn 

Thanks to all who wrote in on behalf of Partnership for Parks! And Carol for also attending!

City Council Hearing: Partnerships for Parks                                                                            November 16, 2016

…The Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition came to add our voice to the chorus of volunteer park stewards on behalf of Partnerships for Parks’ suggested goal of an Outreach Coordinator for every Community Board.

We are a long –time Park’s advocacy group. We’ve been together since 1980 when the neighborhood organized to rid our park of drug dealers and pimps.

Since then we have created 5 community gardens, maintained a bird sanctuary, a turtle pond, and a chicken coop. We’ve held ladybug and firefly releases annually. We’ve advocated for funding and held community visionings for sports fields, playgrounds and several park houses. We’ve held countless festivals (to honor our diverse community), held film screenings run by teenagers and Coalition meetings to gather the neighborhood’s input on our park. And together we are fighting for the return of a beloved nursing home.

With Partnerships for Parks help, whether financial, logistical or material, we’ve always felt we had a partner who cared about how we were doing. And not just us, but the entire city has been offered a personal relationship to their park through the dedication of individual Outreach Coordinators. In our case, Kirsty Bambridge is all you’d ever want in an ally. She’s sharp, diplomatic, direct and a hard worker. She listens to and honors the local smarts of all her park stewards. And she has a sense of humor. Vital. But it’s harder to keep that sense of humor if you are fraying because you can’t provide the level of contact required to keep volunteers going.

I recently attended one of P4Pks mentoring programs. I met and formed a fast friendship with one of the smartest organizers I’ve ever met. And I was supposed to be the mentor. But in P4Pks settings it is always an exchange of information, we are always learning from everyone.

In these coming times more than ever, we need to invest in advocates who know that they are not only helping people to value their parks, but helping people fight for the kind of society that values them.

Let’s invest in our future as we build an electorate that is willing to make common cause with everyone in their neighborhood, who will respond to problems with solutions, and who will stand up for their neighbors and those in need of help because they will feel entitled to do so and will have already been practicing in their local park.

Thank you.