When: Thursday, March 16 at 3:30pm
Where: City Hall, Broadway & Murray Street
Mayor de Blasio, the “gentrifier-in-chief,” has designated New York City a “sanctuary city” and claims he is going to protect immigrants from racist and xenophobic Trump’s Executive Orders. For many NYC immigrants and people of color, however, our communities are under siege as we live in the instability and crisis because of the Mayor’s own rezoning policy that is displacing us from the very places that we seek refuge. While Trump pushes people out of the border, de Blasio pushes people out of their homes and neighborhoods to benefit his political aspirations and ultra‐rich developers. They are two sides of the same coin: both destroy immigrant families and communities of color. We say no more to racism and displacement and support for truly community-based housing plans!
The Citywide Alliance Against Displacement will again rally at City Hall to demand Mayor de Blasio step down for promoting racist rezoning plans that target communities of color and to commemorate the legacy of radical women and immigrants fighting against racial and economic injustice all over the country. The Alliance is reclaiming issues (eg: immigrant rights and women’s history month) from politicians, like Mayor de Blasio, who hijack the messages of social struggles and symbolic celebrations and re-frames them to benefit themselves and then cover up their own racist and oppressive policies.
The Alliance recognizes the roles that women play everyday of the year caring for and nurturing the development of our children, our elders and all members of our community who help create the unique culture, history and beauty of the neighborhoods where we live. Displacement that results from Mayor de Blasio’s racist rezoning and policing policies are a phenomenon that women experience on the frontlines as everything about our communities that we work toward building is destroyed and erased. We honor the strength, love, brilliance and power of women who fight for our communities to thrive despite the limitations of the destructive policies we are confronted by. We want an end to the destruction. We call for Mayor de Blasio to step down.
Marina Ortiz with East Harlem Preservation said “On top of 35-story buildings all along Third Avenue, the city is now pushing a 68-story development as well. This is especially troubling since none of these new buildings will offer rents that are affordable to most East Harlem residents. We will honor brave women like Evelina Antonetty and Genoveva Clemente, who fought tooth and nail to save their communities from government control, while we fight back against sell-out politicians like Melissa Mark-Viverito and Bill de Blasio.
Roger Hernandez, Jr. of El Barrio Unite! added: “Mayor de Blasio’s rezoning proposal for East Harlem is recognized by community residents as a gentrification strategy to displace its most vulnerable residents. Immigrant communities are especially vulnerable to displacement pressures due to the current precarious legal atmosphere being created by aggressive Federal policies targeting NYC’s immigrant neighborhoods. As people of color, we reject these racist decisions affecting our friends and neighbors!”
Alliance Demands:
- End racism in city planning. Pass community-based “People First” plans like the Chinatown Working Group rezoning plan.
- End public funding for luxury development, such as 421-a. Instead; use public resources to preserve and build more permanent low-income housing.
- Stop privatization of public land and assets.
- Mayor de Blasio and those in City Council who also collude with developers, step down.
#NYCnot4sale #deBlasioStepDown #EndDisplacement
For more information, email [email protected] or call 646-856-9205.
Directions: 2,3 to Park Place, 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge, J/R/W/Z to City Hall