Sixth Street Community Center is a proud member of the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side.
The Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side has been actively organizing and fighting against the rezoning and displacement of our community. The City's rezoning of neighborhoods in New York City perpetuate the classist and racist displacement of our low-income families of color.
During the Bloomberg administration, nearly 40% of New York City was rezoned. The largest number of rezonings (up-zoining of low-income communities of color and down-zoning of majority white affluent communities) all occurred during his 12 year administration since the NYC Zoning Resolution passed in 1961. According to a study conducted by NYU's Furman Center, between 2002-2011 (under Bloomberg), median NYC rents rose 19% and more than half of New Yorkers were rent-burdened (spending more than 30% of their incomes on rent). Housing in New York City due to the vast number of rezonings is limited for our low-income families and we witness that with the vast numbers that have been displaced over the past decade. The Chinatown Working Group Plan emerged in 2008 in response to the City's plan to up-zone target areas of Chinatown and our LES waterfront. The Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side advocates for the full adoption of the Chinatown Working Group Plan which aims to protect our most vulnerable neighborhoods from luxury housing developments that don't serve our dire housing needs.
While the Bloomberg administration was pushing for the racist development of the Extell tower on our LES waterfront, they were simultaneously disinvesting in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) projects. Our public housing, NYCHA, is crumbling and now has a total of $31.8 billion of unmet capital needs. We don't need to invest in new, private, luxury development. Instead, we should be investing in the needs of our under-housed, underserved and low-income households.
Over the past decade, some of the major demands over the course of this fight have been to:
For more information on some of the past action and movement, check out Chinese Staff and Workers Association.
The Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side has been actively organizing and fighting against the rezoning and displacement of our community. The City's rezoning of neighborhoods in New York City perpetuate the classist and racist displacement of our low-income families of color.
During the Bloomberg administration, nearly 40% of New York City was rezoned. The largest number of rezonings (up-zoining of low-income communities of color and down-zoning of majority white affluent communities) all occurred during his 12 year administration since the NYC Zoning Resolution passed in 1961. According to a study conducted by NYU's Furman Center, between 2002-2011 (under Bloomberg), median NYC rents rose 19% and more than half of New Yorkers were rent-burdened (spending more than 30% of their incomes on rent). Housing in New York City due to the vast number of rezonings is limited for our low-income families and we witness that with the vast numbers that have been displaced over the past decade. The Chinatown Working Group Plan emerged in 2008 in response to the City's plan to up-zone target areas of Chinatown and our LES waterfront. The Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side advocates for the full adoption of the Chinatown Working Group Plan which aims to protect our most vulnerable neighborhoods from luxury housing developments that don't serve our dire housing needs.
While the Bloomberg administration was pushing for the racist development of the Extell tower on our LES waterfront, they were simultaneously disinvesting in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) projects. Our public housing, NYCHA, is crumbling and now has a total of $31.8 billion of unmet capital needs. We don't need to invest in new, private, luxury development. Instead, we should be investing in the needs of our under-housed, underserved and low-income households.
Over the past decade, some of the major demands over the course of this fight have been to:
- Stop the racist development of the four mega towers being proposed for Two Bridges, as it would further exacerbate our housing issues and displacement.
- Adopt the Chinatown Working Group Community Plan
- Resist predatory investors and safeguard tenants from landlord harassment and illegal lockouts
- Invest in and preserve Lower East Side's existing public, affordable and low-income housing stock
For more information on some of the past action and movement, check out Chinese Staff and Workers Association.
Image and flyer source: peoplefirstnyc.org
