ACORN Protesters Storm The Beacon Tower
The anti-gentrification movement stepped it up a notch yesterday with ACORN protesters storming the open house at the Beacon Tower, Shaya Boymelgreen’s 23-story condo development at 85 Adams in Dumbo. What a shame! What a pity! We can’t live in New York City, the 50-odd protesters chanted while blanketing the sales office with flyers that…
The anti-gentrification movement stepped it up a notch yesterday with ACORN protesters storming the open house at the Beacon Tower, Shaya Boymelgreen’s 23-story condo development at 85 Adams in Dumbo. What a shame! What a pity! We can’t live in New York City, the 50-odd protesters chanted while blanketing the sales office with flyers that read, Beacon Tower developers get rich off the backs of working families.” The protesters main gripe? That luxury projects like the Beacon still receive tax breaks in a holdover from a program started in the 1970s to stimulated development. The ambushed Corcoran agents manning the open house called in the cops who removed the protesters. Prospective buyers didn’t appear to be too sympathetic to the cause. “Tell them to get jobs and go live in the projects,” said Jenny Malone, who was there checking out apartments. “People just want something for nothing.”
Activists Protest Dumbo Condos [Metro]
More coverage in the print edition.
How come people dont protest the affordability of Beverly Hills or Malibu or Miami Beach or Nob Hill? I mean, I certainly dont like the fact that things are so expensive but at the same time, I dont feel that it is my right to live here. If I can afford it, fine but if i cant, then i look else where…. why do other people feel that this is a right and privildge rather than a sacrifice and financial decision…
CAPITALISM is the only system that works. All you jabbering liberals are FULL OF SHIT. I doubt any of you give away anything significant to CHARITY. You’re a bunch of liers. You say one thing and do another.
Sorry folks, in a free country you SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING TO GET IT. NOBODY SHOULD GET SPECIAL TREATMENT.
IF YOU WANT CHARITY, BEG ON THE STREET!
You can yawn, 12:54 PM, but I’ll bet plenty of these posters are afraid of African Americans. And with such attitudes, maybe they should be.
Anon.12:38, I don’t see where I said that they were stuck there. My initital comments mentioned people in the projects, as well as in other parts of the city, not specifically the projects. That part of my remarks was in answer to Jenny of the “let them live in the projects” fame. I know all kinds of people start there and leave.
And let’s not forget that all NYCHA projects are not the same. Some are crime ridden pits of despair, and some are much, much better. I think general, most people, even well meaning people, think that everyone in public housing is sitting around waiting for someone else to save them. Plenty of places have tenant organizations that do everything from security patrols to planting flowers, and sponsor home buying clubs. Subsidized housing is not only for the very poor, it also serves the greater amount of people who are hard working each and everyday, but just don’t make enough money to be able to afford market rate housing. I certainly know plenty of people in that catagory, given the prices of housing. There are varying degrees of subsidy, and programs that cover a pretty broad spectrum of incomes. It’s not just about the extremely poor, but they should certainly not be forgotten, either.
mr. poor black man..you are pathetic…what are you really going to do? other than scare and complain
crownheightsproud,my spectrum example was just an example and im well aware there are other destinations. regardless, of your inability to see it, but this whole blog has been focused on those two ends.
just an example, like how you state the following.
“Most of “those people” are the true worker ants of this city.”
im sure people can list other true workers out there.
crownheightsproud. unfortunately, you are not stating much cause and effect yourself. think about what the rich has done for nyc. without them, much of the entertainment, restaurants, tourism, etc..would not be possible, you identify the poor as being the real workers here, but have failed to say why the rich are not real workers.
Another thing. The abatements are not subsidies in terms of cuts on taxes that are already being paid. These are new taxes that contribute positively to city revenues when there were none or less before. The way that RE taxes are calculated on city property with vast differences in coops, condos and houses means that even the non-abated taxes are arrived at in contrived and artificial means anyway with some types of housing (brownstones for example) already getting a huge discount to the “market” without any abatements. Thus 421a abatements that start phasing in increases every two years from inception don’t really contribute to keeping tax revenues away from the city because by year two they start to go up substantially anyway and keep going up until they hit much higher levels than for existing coops, condos and houses.
You could argue that the higher taxes )over and above what others pay for similar places) by around year 6 more than pay back what was supposedly “lost” with the abatements. The luxury housing that is being built ends up with much higher taxes in the end.
VDH, please explain how that helps the underserved in the affordable and low income housing market? Please cite direct cause and effect, because just saying it should doesn’t make it so.