Protecting and improving the community for the people who live and work here

Thanks to City Relief and all the volunteers and the 5th Precinct!

Felicia Gordon Tenant Association President for Rafael Hernandez Housing Ribbon Cutting today for the New Playground and Senior Seating areas.

Funded by Council Member Margaret Chin’s office and Manhattan Borough President’s office.

Gordon said, “Margaret came and took one look at this and said ‘I don’t need to see any more – we’re getting you the money!”. Chin “NYCHA Housing is our affordable housing – people deserve to live in good housing!”

One young man couldn’t wait for a ribbon cutting and tried out ALL the new equipment.

Big Thank You to the 5th Precinct, ALL the Explorers: Christian, Justin, Karen, and Andy and Sgt Yip, Randy Chan, Shaneek Smith. They came from the Bronx, Queens, and nearby Chinatown.

Thanks also to Marco from International Center for Photography.

And to PO Urena and PO Dhundup for stopping by on your walk-through of the Park.

We worked taking out weeds, clearing trash, removing dead branches, and planting a few bits of green!

We also got to catch a glimpse of a Red Tailed Hawk and got to learn about the Stanton Street CSA who distributes out of M’Finda Kalunga Garden.

More to Come.

And the Red Tailed Hawk (can you spot the hawk?)

Thank you again Sgt Kakit Kip and to our ‘beat cops’ PO Urena and PO Dhundup!

Again this Thursday from 11am to 1pm City Relief is here offering hot soup, hot chocolate and other resources.

The Forsyth Conservancy was built here in the early 1980’s and tended by them for decades (tended by Tenement Museum Staffers in recent years):

City Relief:

Planting in the New Forsyth Conservancy Plots and Un-girdling a Tree!

Trash collects behind the low brick wall.

With thanks to Borough President Brewer and to Council Member Chin and to the NYC Parks Department.

From: NYC Parks “is inviting the community to participate in the design process for the renovation of the Rivington Street Playground in Sara D. Roosevelt Park between Chrystie & Forsyth Streets by attending a virtual meeting on Monday, December 13, at 6:30-8 p.m.  

You are welcome to offer your ideas on how you would like to see this playground improved to better serve the community.  With this input, the Parks Department will develop a plan for the renovation, which will be presented to the Community Board 3 parks committee for public review at a later date. If you want to help improve this playground, please join this meeting and feel free to invite others who may be interested.

You must register in advance for the meeting:

https://www.nycgovparks.org/reg/community-input-meetings/12043

This project has been funded by:

Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Margaret Chin.

We hope you can join us.”

City Relief created an oasis of caring in a tough part of  our park. They brought hot chocolate, hot soup, health/resources and a listening ear (and cleaned up!).

Our deepest gratitude to Teresa, Josiah, Trish, all the volunteers and other organizations that came out.

While some of us got to garden in the nearby plots:

And from M’Finda Garden:

From Elizabeth Hardwick. Our beloved bird whisperer.

The skies above, all foamy froth and wind-whipped cloth, are emptier today,

A Wild Air Rider, A Daring Gusty Glider, too soon has gone away,

Quiet now, a dozen harmless doves, strewn thither, in motionless array,

Nearby a wanton pigeon crew, ungrouped, no longer favored prey,

The skies, where lives are earned and lost, are emptier today

The morning sky that day was plentiful of flutter, and sounds of avian bravado,

The local park below was plenty full of loose-knit, pic-nic desperados,

People whom all passers-by leave clear alone and incommunicado,

That all changed; the rag-tags gathered up a Falcon felled, in condition delicado,

They knew his fate was with theirs too, and so spun on, the whirling wheel of fortunado

A neighbor, in his speedy dart, glanced upon the sober Watchmen in the public yard,

Surprised to see their orderly display, he stopped to see what occupied their cart:

The Injured One lay on his back, broken beak agape and wings spread wide apart,

He called me up to say, come help, it’s urgent; suddenly, my mouth contained my heart,

I rushed to see, then meted tasks, instead a Parks clerk halted us, and stepped in to play his part

The skies above looked far away, emptier they were, just another New York day,

Below, the five Rangers of the Park arrived, packed up and Northward drove, the Sky-Born Prey,

The waiting Healer took him in, where many injured birds are saved, a Wild Curandera’s cave,

She saw his plight: the fractured beak, his body mangled from the fight, in useless disarray,

Repair, she sadly knew, could not be gained; so with her power, she made that his last day

Many of the Winged Tribe lose a battle predatory, and wounded, leave the skies,

Flight lost and battle-tossed, they melt into the earth below, a silent, invisible demise;

Many Victors feast on victory’s gain, on their feathery, hard-won prize,

Sated, one more day they live, and in memory of their Vanquished, rise,

The Winner wins, yet bears the loss, an endless toss, of perished birds and those still left alive

The sky, an airy domicile, seems emptier today – a recent fullness passed,

The flier’s highway whirls with wings that come and go, some slow, and others, fast,

How is it some on earth stay long, and some are too quickly gone, myself I ask,

And some live on, like the Falcon-let, who fell to earth that day, and grouped a mis-matched cast

Of strangers who came to help his plight, and then found their hearts and minds bound fast

Bob, Marvin, Richard, K, and Chris volunteers with Teresa Gowan.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the award:

Governor Kathy Hochul

From Gotham Gazette

“Chinatown will get a $20 million state grant to redesign three key public spaces in the less trafficked eastern part of the neighborhood. Local officials hope the projects will revitalize the downtown neighborhood after a bruising year and half of economic distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic worsened by anti-Asian racism.”

Borough President Brewer, Council Member Margaret Chin, Senator Brian Kavanagh, Thomas Yu Asian Americans For Equality, Wellington Chen (whose birthday it was!) Chinatown BID, Chinese American Planning Council Wayne Ho, Asian American Federation Jo-Ann Yoo, Think!Chinatown Amy Chin, CCBA Justin Yu… and many good friends!

And…will bring more positive use to the area south of Sara Roosevelt Park!!

“The future of Chinatown is bright and I have no doubt that we’re gonna come back stronger and more resilient than before,” outgoing Council Member Margaret Chin said.”