Community Activism - we need it!!!

There were huge downpours a few weeks ago, and after one such downpour I walked by the flowerpots that frame the entrance to the church that resides beside Launchpad. It was late in the evening. I noticed that both pots were filled to the brim with water. the huge pots have no holes in the bottom, you see, so there is no drainage. I placed my bag down and carefully, and I tilted one of the pots to the side to allow the water to runoff. At the task's end, a hipster approached me from across the street. He was hanging out at the bar. He was friendly enough, and he asked me what was I doing, and I told him, and then he asked me WHY was I doing it. And I told him I did it because I live here, and, living in this space gives me a sense of propriety for its well being. That ownership as we know it is not only in title form, but, pardon the pun, it is also in deed. 'Your deeds ascribe to you your role in your community, your investment in your community and your sense of propriety for it.'

What the wanton buying and selling of property does is to disrupt this perspective -- and to render that perspective illusion at best, and expressing such an opinion a delusion. I own nothing.

The aggressive MySpace gobble-gobble ethos, the buying and cutting of living spaces into smaller and smaller spaces, the kicking out of tenants who helped to make this neighborhood what it is, all for the benefit of someone's bottomline -- it is disgusting and parasitic. And it will only get worse.

I feel ripped off. I feel as if something was stolen from me. What living amongst the MySpaces of the world has taught me is the cynical wisdom of well-placed urine, feng shui-ed shit and cannily abandoned trash. It keeps the parasites at bay. Already my rent has jumped 20 percent in two years. Food prices are as high here as they would be in best neighborhood in Manhattan, if not higher. The irony of ironies, I'm going to Park Slope to get a deal on food.

I think I'm going to boycott it all. Bodega coffee for me y'all.

We are talking about real life situations and this dude is "droppin' knowledge" with dentist office aphorisms. What's next Whynot, a picture of a cat hanging from a branch with the words, 'Hang In there' underneath?

What, exactly, is the real-life situation here?

I have to say, I'm a little surprised at Mr. Kunitzky. I've always admired his contribution to the neighborhood, on the basis of which he struck me as a mature and reasonable individual with a generous heart. And here I see him making bold, pejorative and unsubstantiated claims about another member of the community.

Even if all of these claims are true (and no evidence has been presented to that effect) this sort of public acrimony and appeal to sentiment strikes me as at best an attempt to leverage a venue for the pursuance of a personal war. I really can't imagine it could have much to do with bettering the community.

Eastbloc - thanks for your compliments, as well as your concerns. All the information in my post is accurate. I invite anyone to investigate the facts. I have no personal grievance with Stacey; in fact, I applaud many of her previous community contributions. The issue is the conflict of interest I expressed in my post, which is only one factor of a bigger concern regarding the shift of greedy power and the harm it causes. These are very complicated issues, they can often be confusing. I believe my post contains important information that people should be aware of, that's the reason I posted it. My intention is to help better the community, in whatever ways the community decides it wants/needs bettering. You are free to disagree with any of my opinions, intentions, or efforts. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

alwayslookaround said:

The issue is the conflict of interest I expressed in my post, which is only one factor of a bigger concern regarding the shift of greedy power and the harm it causes.

Everyone is greedy.

For example, tenants are angry about the record high rent hikes over the last 2 years. But I personally saw a decrease in rent in that area in 2009-2010. So over the long term there is a direction.

I would not be surprised if folks looking to oust Stacey would benefit materially or emotionally from her departure. How long has she been there? How long did it take before she was elected and this conflict was discovered? Who vets folks who get elected? Has she personally been involved in any unscrupulous deals?

The only way any real progress is going to be made is if everyone is on board. The issue of gentrification will never go away until all parties are aligned in interest- which will prove hard to do when landlords and real estate agents are deemed the enemy. They are trying to make a living just like anyone else.

Cool the Kid - nobody claimed all landlords and real estate agents are the enemy. There are definitely some very unethical ones, and I believe they should be called out when they do wrong, especially when they have a long history of doing wrong. That's the only way to inform/educate the public about the risks and harms of working with them, as well as to encourage the public to work with more ethical landlords and realtors. Remaining silent about known issues is irresponsible, it contributes to the problem.

If there is a real estate group that is known to be harmful to a community, and someone goes to work with them despite knowing about the harm they have caused, I believe that speaks for itself.

As Bob Marley said, there is 'there's so much things to say right now...'

This is a PAINFUL situation. I cannot begin to tell you how this aches...

If Launch Pad is inaccurate in their allegations, it creates a sense of disenchantment about community involvement. If Launch Pad is accurate in their allegations, it still creates a sense of disenchantment about community involvement.

Essentially, the efforts of those who pulled hundreds of pounds and a countless number of garbage bags -- filled with every kind of filthy garbage imaginable -- was to better the land for sale. And to know that the buyer resides on the same block, and was always there, watching and waiting....

And, all of the proxies who chime in matter of factly (and dispassionately) about economics and gentrification see this scenario lacking a dimension: the third. They are not privvy to how MySpace goes around pressuring people to move out and to sell, and when they are successful they go into the properties and cut up the rooms, making two bedrooms into four.

They just nod their heads, say words with many syllables, and move one.

I think so, whynot. For instance, I was happy to lend a hand to the efforts to move the art installation out of the garden, without any consideration as to whether I agreed completely with the political motives of the installation or not.

In retrospect, I thought it was kind of funny, but I don't ascribe the sort of primacy to my convictions that might make it harder for me to help first and foremost and discuss what happened later -- preferably over a beer.

If I'm ever bored after half a beer, I order a second beer.

We haven't had nearly enough opportunity to review each other after five beers. I'll take the blame for that.

I think a lot of people feel that way.

For example, depending upon my mood, when I am accused of being "the power" I either find it to be offensive or amusing.

Sometimes, I find it offensive AND amusing.

When I am feeling generous, I let harmless people think and act like I am The Power so they can feel they spoke truth to power.

...I was taught it is good to give people a sense of accomplishment and feelings of self determination.

Every fictional character is based on someone who exists in real life.

You may be being to literal.

tateinbk - That is exactly the point, there is no second motive. We all need our neighbors (like you) to share their stories about things that are happening in the neighborhood. Personally speaking, I think MySpace stories are ESPECIALLY important. If MySpace stories are the only ones that are shared, that would be a huge first step in helping to better inform our community, as well as to start creating some long-term sustainability for people who live here.

In the few days since I made the post above (via the LaunchPad account), many people have told me stories similar to yours. There are MANY sentiments of distrust and disappointment associated with MySpace interactions. The concerns I've heard span a wide range.

There are also a lot of concerns about the practices of local landlords who own larger apartment buildings, many of whom work closely with MySpace. Some landlords have filed incorrect rental values with city agencies, which affects rent stabilization rates. Some landlords have filed questionable exemptions to remove their property from rent stabilization restrictions. Some landlords are charging higher rents than allowed by rent stabilization restrictions.

There is a serious risk of our neighborhood/community being improperly controlled and altered by landlords and realtors who do not act legally and ethically, especially if/when they operate in concert with each other. The community members must bond together to inform each other about what is happening, and then work together to find remedies for the problems at hand.

Everyone is encouraged to get involved, to ask questions, to share facts, and to help find solutions. Encourage your neighbors to do the same.

To the smaller property owners out there who may not want to get involved because they want to see their property values continue to increase - your property values will still increase without the manipulation techniques that are being employed by some of the larger property owners and realtors. Sure, higher rents may have some impact on the value of our property. But a cohesive, caring, diverse, integrated community will have a much more significant impact on your property value.

with all the talk of MySpace, does someone have the owner's direct contact information? They bolted up an advertisement for their company on the facade of a landmark brownstone on my block, and they haven't responded to calls to their direct line asking to remove it. and no, there is no apartment for rent in that building. the sign has been up for over a year, and it is screwed into the second floor facade.

since the landmarks violation hasn't encouraged them to remove it, perhaps a phone call from a community member might. it's a really ugly sign, and pretty insulting to those of us who are trying to make the neighborhood nicer. if they are trying to get higher rents, this kind of crap isn't helping.