Immigrant Groups Fight Sunset Park Rezoning
Rezoning seems to be the issue du jour here in Brooklyn. First, Carroll Gardeners raise their hackles over the planned R6A designation for some streets, and now the blog Best View in Brooklyn points out that a coalition of residents, churches, and a community organization in Sunset Park have filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s…
Rezoning seems to be the issue du jour here in Brooklyn. First, Carroll Gardeners raise their hackles over the planned R6A designation for some streets, and now the blog Best View in Brooklyn points out that a coalition of residents, churches, and a community organization in Sunset Park have filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s rezoning plan of 128 blocks in their neighborhood. According to the press release published on Legal Services NYC’s website, “They claim that the rezoning plan will encourage more luxury development and large chain stores, resulting in widespread residential and commercial displacement and gentrification among Sunset Park’s low-income Asian and Latino communities.” Any readers care to weigh in?
Press Conference Announces Lawsuit about Rezoning [BVIB]
Immigrant Groups File Lawsuit [Legal Services]
Photo by Sonja Shield/Legal Services NYC
Learn to read Chinese, rob, then no prob.
Based on my experience as a renter in Hong Kong, I can tell you that a lot of Chinese landlords do feel reluctant to rent to a non-Chinese speaking person. It isn’t a matter of racism, but of communication–they would rather deal with a tenant they can communicate easily with.
In fact, a Chinese-speaking Westerner is a kind of dream tenant for a Chinese landlord.
My friend Bill, who has an MA in Chinese studies and speaks beautiful Mandarin, rented an apartment on Mott Street for five years, and his landlord never raised his rent. I have a similar deal going with my landlord in HK, who loves me–he even facebook friended me!
I have a few more comments but I want to see what direction this thread takes first. 🙂
rob- don’t think housing discrimination only goes on in Chinatown. Having been rejected from an apartment once in Brooklyn Heights because my husband was black, was no fun. It’s illegal but way too many people get away with it. Look at Hasidic communities- they do it. I know Italians landlords who have discriminated- believe me, its all over.
But why shouldn’t immigrant groups be allowed to complain? We’re not talking illegal immigrants operating under the radar here. We’re talking people who came to this country, are naturalized or have green cards.
also how come landlords in chinatown dont get in trouble for only advertising apartments basically in chinese and refusing to rent to non chinese? i actually know two people who were flat out rejected for an apartment for not being chinese. definitely illegal, right? i guess i dont care though cuz if something was down about it there would be no more real chinatown and that would suck.
*rob*
My suspicion is that any Sunset Park condos or coops are gonna be developed by Chinese for more upscale Chinese clients.
That’s what happened in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Sunset Park Chinatown may appear humble on the surface, but there’s a lot of money there you don’t see. Ethnicity and economic class aren’t always wrapped together in one package.
“Good one for the What – “Reverse” discrimination at its best.”
I’ll bite! This is about retarded Condo development, not a Race/Class issue!
Never in the history of this city were whole neighborhood is/has come under attack from the moneyed interest (Gentrification). Whole neighborhoods are rip asunder at the expense of long time New Yorkers. What’s going to happen when all of the developments blow up??!! empty decaying abandoned Condos bringing Urban Blight everywhere. We have enough New Construction to last us for the next 35 years! This is the issue here, not class/race.
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
GWH, go to the nyc gov website. you will be SHOCKED just how many affordable housing units have been built in the last few years, are currently under construction, and planned to be constructed. the thing tho is that unfortunately most of them are in pretty crappy areas and very inconvenient. but they are definitely out there.
*rob*
Heh. I just noticed the slogan on another Chinese placard. It translates “Luxury condo development” as “gwai fong fa”.
That literally means “Distinguished (expensive) Rooms Development”
We will never have housing affordability in this city until we add more housing units.