Victory! Kicking Stanley Schlein’s Ass.

According to Dan Beekman’s coverage of our super short press conference (on 11/6/12) in the NY Daily News.  HPD has back pedaled, and taken Stanley Schlein off the project:

“But housing officials recently required Bronx lawyer Stanley Schlein to remove himself from the project, the Crossroads Plaza development at Southern Blvd. and E. 149th St., and it is moving forward.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/activists-deal-tainted-politics-article-1.1200789#ixzz2Idgnna6J

 

HPD suddenly realized, after our pressure and coverage in the NY Times that dealing with Schlein as the principal minority partner in a land deal for hundreds of millions of dollars was a bad idea. It only took 17 years.

 

Eric Biederman, HPD spokesperson, further excused the agency by stating that:

“The agency entered into negotiations with the Schlein team before he was censured, it said. The site has remained vacant for years because it was initially slated for offices and stores, HPD said.”

What that doesn’t acknowledge is that the city entered into contractual negotiations with Schlein, Perez, and Rios in 1995.  At the time Schlein was a city employee on with a cushy position on the Civil Service Comission.

In 2000, the Crossroads Plaza group successfully completed a ULURP process to build a retail complex, but then axed the deal without explanation.  The likely explanation being in 2001, Schlein’s personal friend Mayor Michael R . Bloomberg was elected mayor of New York City.

In all likelihood, the mayor, who intended to ensure that the real estate industry in New York keep reeling in profits, let Schlein know that a housing complex with some affordable housing thrown in, would likely be a more sound investment.  Add onto that the fact that HPD’s new direction under Bloomberg would further this cause.

What HPD also admits with this statement is that, although Schlein was censured after their contractual negotiations began, it never stopped them from pursuing the relationship.  Remember, Schlein was censured in 2006.  Different HPD commissioners during that time (according to Michael Powell of the NY Times) wrote personal letters requesting to continue business with Schlein and his partners almost every year from that point on.  

SO WHAT’S ALL THIS MEAN?

1.  The resistance of Morning Glory Gardeners to the bureaucratic wheels of HPD and the roadblock thrown up by them helped us defeat a feared and respected lobbyist for the real estate industry.  We BEAT Stanley Schlein and prevented him from lining his pockets with our money in the name of “affordable housing.”  Good healthy organizing and protest can score a victory, even if it looks bleak.

2. Good honest journalism always wins out.  Diligent journalists, particularly at the Mot Haven Herald, wouldn’t just regurgitate the city’s political line.  They investigated and looked under every rock they could find.

3. HPD has set a new precedent:  Even if you’re inexperienced, have no background in housing development, you’re a city employee and you’ve committed criminal actions, you’re still the right person for the job.  As long as your tied personally to the mayor and everyone else involved in the approval process.

 

 

 

 

Who is Stanley Schlein?

So who is Stanley Schlein, the previously unnamed 18% partner of Crossroads Plaza LLC?

We whipped up a short info flyer to help you connect the dots and understand why it’s illegal and inappropriate for the City to be wheeling and dealing with Schlein.  Not only is it clearly corruption, but given his record and what he has done to the Bronx, why should we believe he is helping to build real and permanent affordable housing in the Bronx?

Take a look at this real Career Criminal and what he does for the 1%.

 

 

You can download the print version here:

Schlein flyer_V1.2

Morning Glory Press Conference (11/7) Official Press Release

Contact:     Lisa Ortega-646-260-6575

Rafael Mutis-646-373-0303

Aazam Otero-718-551-1865

For Immediate Release: Residents Denounce Bronx Politicians as Poverty PimpsBronx, NY, November 5, 2012- Bronx residents are pushing back against rich developers, The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Borough President, among others to protect a large lot located at 149th street and Southern Blvd in the Bronx for community good.  A news conference will be held on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at 11:00 am at 1932 Arthur Avenue, to tell the story and demand reparations.

For more than 40 years, the lot in question was abandoned by the city and became a dumping ground for garbage before local residents and teenagers from Samuel Gompers High School decided to clean it up and grow vegetables and fruits for the neighborhood. They named it Jardín Morning Glory: A People’s Garden and transformed it from a dangerous eyesore into a social gathering place for the community to get free fresh nutritious homegrown food. For a neighborhood with the highest hunger rate in the city, Morning Glory was a welcome change and created a community that was proactive and self-sufficient in growing food.  Plans included a future small level community farm.

In late October 2011, HPD officials, without warning, bulldozed and destroyed the two year-old community garden and denied community access to it by putting locks on the gate. City officials argued that the community would be better served by construction of Crossroads Plaza development;  a three building mixed-income “affordable” housing complex.

HPD named premiere for-profit luxury condo developer Douglaston as the builders in association with the primary developers Crossroads Plaza LLC.  They did not disclose that Crossroads Plaza LLC is composed of two long-time Democratic Party campaign contributors and the notorious lobbyist Stanley Schlein who has been a key political aide to Bronx political players.   Mr. Schlein has provided legal and consulting services to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Councilwoman Maria de Carmen Arroyo,  indicating clear inherent conflicts of interest within the ULURP process by which the land was obtained.

For 17 years, the city warehoused the site for Crossroads Plaza LLC, giving the politically connected trio, with no development experience, exclusive development rights for only $2. HPD has not and refuses to release their internal criteria for selection and has not offered an answer as to why this parcel of land was never part of an open and competitive bidding process despite doing so for identically sized parcels located in Brooklyn-Livonia Place Development and Prospect Plaza.

Crossroads Plaza LLC does not meet any of the unique skills or service requirements that would legally allow HPD to circumvent the bidding process.  In fact, the LLC’s members do not have any development experience of any kind.

Equally as troubling as the conflicts of interest and the lack of qualifications is that the city has chosen to maintain this special relationship, despite Mr. Schlein’s removal and punishment for abusing his municipal office as well as his professional censure by the Bronx County court during this same time period.

The deep subsidies promised by both HPD and the New York City Housing Development Corporation along with tax exemptions, promise to line the developer’s pockets.  In what is becoming a trend, Crossroads Plaza is another city giveaway of public land to private luxury developers in the name of the poor.

Lisa Ortega, a lifelong Bronx resident, community activist and Morning Glory volunteer is furious,  “We have grown tired of Politicians who are nothing more than poverty pimps and corrupt government agencies destroying the fabric of our communities for their own personal gain. We will resist and fight back by any means necessary.”

Opponents to Crossroads Plaza continue to state that they understand and agree with the need for genuine affordable housing, but want there to be a community-led development process.  As part of their fight, the former gardeners released a set of demands:

-An immediate end to the Crossroads Plaza development in it’s entirety.
-Turning the land over to a politically independent community-led process
-Reparations in the form of:
1. Restoration of the destroyed garden space with a new permanent space of equal size by 2013.
2. Compensation for lost property through material resources for the new garden site.  (i.e. access to soil, hand tools, scrap lumber, etc.)
-Launching a full investigating for fraud or corruption, and holding those involved legally accountable.
-HPD develop a citywide compulsory policy to publicize it’s selection criteria for all of it’s developments.

Gardeners and concerned residents will continue to push back until their demands are met, and expressed skepticism over the City’s plan to continue on with the development.

“The idea that the city is partnering with a luxury condo developer and a premiere lobbyist for the real-estate industry to develop long-term affordable housing is laughable.  This is an old-school land grab, and has nothing to do with housing.  Affordable housing is merely a means to an end in their business model,” said Aazam Otero, a former gardener.

For more information, please visit our blog: http://morningglorygarden.wordpress.com/

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NOW HEAR THIS…!

MORNING GLORY PRESS CONFERENCE has been moved to Wednesday 11/7 @11AM at 1932 Arthur Ave.

We originally had it scheduled for 11/2, but due to the transit problems caused  by Hurricane Sandy, we’re moving it back a bit.  if you need more details, just ask or check out our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/events/432316040163226/

TRANSIT DIRECTIONS TO 1932 ARTHUR AVE:

#2 or #5 Trains to W.Farms Sq./Tremont Ave. –> Then walk west  to Arthur Ave.

Bus: Bx. 40, Bx.42 to Arthur Ave -or- Bx.17, Bx.19 to Tremont Ave and then walk to Arthur Ave.
A press release will happen later this week, for now additional details are below:

SMACK A PIMP BACK!Join Morning Glory supporters and Bronx residents as we denounce Bronx Politicians as Poverty Pimps outside of HPD offices and DEMAND community-level development!

Like any good Pimp, Bloomberg, Bronx politicians and HPD have been using manipulative narratives of love and genuine care to explain how they’re handling the affordable housing crisis.

In reality, their narratives are little more than abuse and control of poor people in the name of “affordable” housing.In August and October major investigative news stories about the the former garden site were released. Here are the facts:

-For 17 years, HPD warehoused the site for Crossroads Plaza LLC giving the group exclusive development rights for $2.

-Despite having no development experience of any kind, they stand to make millions of dollars to develop “affordable” housing with luxury Williamsburg developer Douglaston.

-The LLC is composed of two long-time Democratic Party campaign contributors and the notorious lobbyist/political fixer Stanley Schlein.

-Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Councilwoman Arroyo, conveniently forgot that they had direct conflicts of interest when they both used their oversight roles to approve the deal, as Schlein is working for them!

-This is Schlein’s reward for his dirty work! In just the last 17 years he’s been responsible for the following:

*Represented Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate when they held the New York State government hostage in 2009.

*Represented the New York Yankees when they crushed community opposition tot the new Yankee Stadium.

*Helped Councilwoman Arroyo and Councilman Larry Seabrook avoid corruption charges.

*Abused his part-time $69K/yr. city job given to him by Bloomberg by illegally running his legal practice in city offices and using city resources to do so.

*Verbally abused gay rights protestors with slurs at a fundraiser for state senator Ruben Diaz Sr.

*Narrowly avoided criminal charges as he mismanaged lucrative guardianship cases awarded to him by the city. Allowing non-ambulatory and elderly Bronx residents to lose their property and savings.

*Is currently defending Carmen E. Arroyo on electioneering charges as she was seen and photographed literally standing over elderly voters as they cast their vote in the recent primary elections.

*Is one of the primary lobbyists for the Rent Stabilization Association and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), two of the largest ANTI-RENT CONTROL & PRO-DEVELOPER ORGANIZATIONS IN NYC!!!

AND THAT’S THE SHORT LIST!

Come out and Speak out!

For 17 Years, No Development as Insiders Held Rights to Bronx Eyesore

On October 9th, The New York Times carried Sean Carlson’s article (see here) on the outright political corruption behind the Crossroads Plaza Development.

The times article was featured in both their print and online editions:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/nyregion/insider-kept-right-to-develop-city-lot-in-bronx-for-17-years.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

 

 

Unsurprisingly, the NY Times and writer Michael Powell completely scrubbed the garden and the subsequent political fight from the story altogether.  After all, the South Bronx is little more than poor people who take little agency over their own conditions, so why bother to include them in even a half-sentence.
Either way, any press is good press at this rate, and being featured in the “paper of record” is a big deal.  Big enough that Powell revealed that Carlson’s article in the tiny Mott Haven Herald  got HPD backpedaling a bit:

 

Asked recently about Mr. Schlein’s missteps, Catie Marshall, the spokeswoman for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, said city housing officials learned of Mr. Schlein’s checkered background in August when they conducted a “sponsor review.” A few weeks ago, she said, they told him to withdraw from the project.

What remains unclear is why city officials were so solicitous of Mr. Schlein’s struggles with this lot, and remain so unaware of his later troubles.

Actually the motivations behind why the city was so solicitous of Mr. Schlein are pretty damn clear once you pay attention to the details, and we’ve been doing some research ourselves.  So gear up for some more action, and some more info on how severe the conflicts of interest are between the politicians involved and the Crossroads Plaza LLC (Mr. Schlein & Co.).

More info on the way, stay posted!!!!!!!!

 

V-I-N-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N !!!

The Mott Haven Herald worked tirelessly throughout the summer on an investigative journalism piece, which they dropped on August 23rd.

They were looking into the membership of Crossroads LLC, the leading development entity and future official owners of the former the garden space and this is what they found!

http://motthavenherald.com/2012/08/23/no-bid-deal-could-enrich-political-fixer/

 

 

They did what we didn’t have the time or capacity to do, figure out why the city had warehoused a massive piece of land for 17 years  and for who!  Turns out it is one hell of a political and economic gift for the notorious Stanley Schlein among others.  Schlein, to put it politely, is an intensely sleazy politically connected scumbag lawyer, who has had his tentacles wrapped around the Bronx political machine for years.

More to come on who Mr. Schlein is and what it means for a lobbyist, and other wealthy political actors to no-bid deal to line their pockets in the name of “affordable” housing.

 

So do our actions at Community Board 1 make sense?  Does it make sense that we always stood by our claims that this land was a political giveaway in the name of poor people? Does it make sense that these are outsiders, working directly with a gentrifying luxury developer looking to carve up our community to make a financial killing?

 

I guess all that “disgusting and unacceptable behavior,” as the Bronx Borough President calls it, makes much more sense right now.

 

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO SEAN CARLSON FOR HIS TENACITY, RESEARCH AND WELL WRITTEN ARTICLE.

SPECIAL THANKS TO JOE HIRSCH, FOR HIS DEDICATION AND HARD WORK IN PUBLISHING THE HERALD.

AND SPECIAL THANKS TO TOM ROBBINS WHOSE JOURNALISTIC SAVVY HELPED THE PIECE ALONG THE WAY.

Town Hall Success

About 17 people came to the town hall put on by Morning Glory on the 26th.  Rebel Diaz Arts Collective played host to the town hall, which drew members from groups like South Bronx Unite, Picture the Homeless and Take Back the Bronx.

We stayed on time for the most part through a dense presentation, with lots of numbers and charts.  People had emotional response to the info, and everyone that was there was really interested.  We wrapped up with talks of a future coalition and some cake!

More to come as we keep on fighting.