12 Comments
Bad timing!
There was a protest against Manhattanville at the Gates that was ended by the protestors themselves. There are some cops lingering. Apparently protestors were playing drums and were dressed up like buildings. Probably not the best week for a protest. Carry on!
Full flyer after the jump.
Columbia Is Not Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Columbia Is Neighbors Displacing Neighbors
Support the Harlem Community and hold columbia accountable
Columbia University is building a huge second campus in the neighborhood of Manhattanville in West Harlem. 18 acres of land will be bulldozed, spanning from below 125th to 134th street.
What will be the effects of Columbia’s Expansion?
-Columbia’s own statistics estimate their expansion into Manhattanville will displace almost 3,300 residents.
-Additionally, the 3,300 estimate does not take into account that people will no longer be able to afford rent because their previously rent-stabilized units are quickly falling out of regulation.
-The “affordable housing units” said to counter this displacement have rent based on the median income of the entire metropolitan area, including Westchester County and part of Long Island, and therefore do not adequately reflect the economic status of Harlem residents.
Where are the jobs?
-Columbia has tried to promote the Manhattanville expansion by advertizing that it will deliver over 7,000 jobs, but Harlem was home to thousands of well-paying skilled labor and manufacturing jobs before Columbia’s presence in the neighborhood.
-Moreover a large number of jobs supposed to be ‘given’ to the community are comprised of construction jobs, which are temporary and will not be a long term benefit to the community, low wage service jobs, paying less than many of the jobs to be displaced by the expansion, and
-The inherently high-risk biotech labs Columbia wants to build are touted as another source of new employment, however these jobs are dangerous not only for employees but for the community at large because of the immanent threat of environmental contamination
How did this happen?
-Columbia University used eminent domain to seize many of the properties in Manhattanville. Eminent Domain is the power of the state to seize private property without the owner’s consent for so-called “public benefit.”
-In 2005, Columbia sent a letter to a company named ESDC, which has the power to condemn property for seizure on the behalf of private developers, aka. In order to ensure that the neighborhood would be declared “blighted”, Columbia intentionally kept the buildings it owned in the area vacant. For their services, Columbia paid ESDC $300,000.
Has the community had a voice in all of this?
-Community Board 9 voted against Columbia’s plan 32-2 but Columbia has not taken into account the massive amounts of testimony against the expansion at nearly every public hearing. Columbia University continues to ignore Community Board 9 ‘s alternative plan for development, 197-a , which prohibits the use of eminent domain.
Want to get involved?
Check out www.stopcolumbia.org, www.harlemtenantscouncil.org, and scegblog.wordpress.com
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12 Comments
@Anon I’m not sure whether or not I support the Manhattanville expansion… but I’m pretty sure that whatever biotech labs Columbia wants to build probably don’t carry a very high risk of “imminent environmental contamination.” Making random and not very credible statements like that don’t exactly help your case.
@Anonymous Columbia shouldn’t be stopped. Harlem is a filthy ghetto that needs to be razed to the ground. It’s residents should be thanking Columbia for civilizing them.
@wat http://hippiekiller.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/troll.jpg
anon, wondering if u
lyke mudkips?
@greatjob check out this coverage. read up on the issues and STOP COLUMBIA.
http://scegblog.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/neighbors-displacing-neighbors/
@Manhattanville Shimmy It was a blast, there was a theatrical showdown between our bureaucrats and Manhattanville building puppets. Bureaucrats tempted the buildings to move north with the Manhattanville Shimmy, but eventually, the buildings stopped, holding a sign blocking the “neighbors” from “neighbors helping neighbors” with the word “displacing.” People were having a good time, and many passerbys were tempted to recall once again that our university has displaced over 3000 people from Harlem and used Imminent Domain illegally. Stuff like this is great and needs to happen more. I’d prefer a clever and factually grounded protest any day over a dance show. Wouldn’t you?
@Alum “…our university has displaced over 3000 people from Harlem…”
Care to back up that claim with actual evidence? I didn’t think so.
“…our university has … and used Imminent Domain illegally.”
It’s “Eminent”, not “Imminent”. It was used by the state on Columbia’s behalf, not by Columbia. And New York’s highest court — which probably knows the relevant law better than you — unanimously disagrees with you.
@Anonymous ugh protesters are so annoying. Do they really think they’re going to change anything with so few numbers? All they do is hinder students trying to get to class. PrezBo can’t even see them from his office window. If the administration isn’t aware of it, how does anything change?
And here’s another question: They were protesting the Trustees. Are the Trustees even AT Columbia on a regular basis? Or are they more like honorary positions where they meet clandestinely once a week. I always imagine them to be some weird secret society, but I’m sure I’m wrong. It’s fun to picture it, though.
@Anonymous \that just got broken up was ended\
You should probably fix the grammar too…
@maybe because they realized the school has some bigger issues these days..
@protestor The protest wasn’t broken up. We ended it ourselves.
@Eliza Ah, okay, I’ll correct. Why did you end it?
@Anonymous ‘broken up’ sounds so much more intense though. better publicity