By COLlive reporter
For the past few months, there has been a lot of talk and discussion around the proposed rezoning study that Community Board 9 has been trying to pass for nearly a year now in Crown Heights.
After much back and forth, the resolution calling on City Planning to conduct a study of the area passed last night by a vote of 10-1 in favor of the study and 1 abstention.
Yet what has gone from being a disagreement among residents as to whether a study would be in the best interest of the community, has instead become a racially charged issue coming to full light last night.
Alicia Boyd, the crass leader of the group Movement to Protect the People, was assisted by followers to prevent the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) meeting from taking place by chanting and yelling.
Thanks to the new leadership of Demetrius Lawrence, who was voted as Chairman of Community Board 9, ULURP committee members were asked to stand together in the front of the room so that the committee can conduct its business while Boyd riled up the crowd.
When the committee was getting ready to vote on the resolution, Boyd shoved Pearl Miles, District Manager and a city employee. NYPD stepped in and removed Boyd from the room. In the ensuing chaos, the committee voted, tallied the vote a number of times to ensure that the vote was correct and adjourned the meeting.
According to a person present, members of the committee were assaulted with derogatory names and having tables and other items thrown at them.
“What’s disheartening and upsetting is that members of the board are volunteers,” the person told COLlive.com. “They offer their time and energy to serve the community. There is no excuse why they should endure harassment from anyone who disagrees with them.”
He added, “One of the most upsetting things that I experienced last night was how successful Ms. Boyd has become in creating a chasm of bigotry and hatred in our community, and yet no one from our elected leaders or community leaders have stood up to Ms. Boyd…”
Boyd and her group were accused in the past of using racially charged and even anti-Semitic language in their fight against the rezoning of local property to allow for the expansion of buildings and homes.
A Community Board 9 member, who asked to remain unnamed, said: “Crown Heights has seen its fair share of hatred and anti-Semitism. How can we allow an individual and group to continue to pursue this type of approach with no repercussions?! Are we willing to allow one person to divide our community?”
we are very stupid
rezoneing will hurt young lubavitchers
who can not afford homes in the rebbas shecunah
all of the big boys in this meeting are being paid off by big investors
i mean ALL chabad and blacks
prices are already tru the roof
the rich get richer and we sufffer
How is that violent?
Unfortunately, Alicia Boyd has injected race and religion into the debate. But her essential point is correct. For the most part it is investors seeking to profit from rezoning — rather than people genuinely concerned for the Jewish community and affordable housing — who are agitating for zoning change. There should be a strong Jewish communal voice against rezoning. Instead we allow a hateful person to say in a hateful manner what should be said by all who care about the Crown Heights Shechunah. In this case “shoot” the messenger and accept the message.
What kind of re-zoning? How will it affect the community?
Why isn’t this machasheifa arrested? And banned from any meetings?
rezoning will cause the jews and the african americans to be outpriced and run over by a bunch of landlords and foreign investors who are building for yuppies. this woman might go about things th erong way but she and ALL OF US! has much to worry about should this rezoning go through.
from the title through to the final sentence, this article is fair and subjective. (Cynicism)
Is this issue dividing the community, or creating a bigger division between the rich and the poor?
Such goings on never happened under Goldsteins leadership