Money talks.
After announcing her resignation from City Council late November, Maria del Carmen Arroyo cited her decision was due to her wanting to dedicate time to “pressing family needs.”
Well the scandal plagued former Councilwoman seems to have been eyeing a deal in the private sector that has almost doubled to a $220,000 per year salary as Acacia Network’s new vice president of administration according to Capital New York.
In response to the wave of real estate speculation threatening the South Bronx and that will open the doors to hyper-gentrification, we present below a Statement of Principles on Private Development. These principles have been in the making for upwards of a year by members of the Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Trust (in consultation with experts in each area) in response to the decades of “development” without community engagement that has caused a health epidemic and now threatens mass displacement. As some of our elected officials choose to deny the existence of gentrification, many developers have already bought land, filed plans and erected buildings “as of right”, and many are not requesting any zoning changes, variances or government subsidies that would trigger wider accountability. Over the coming weeks, members of the community will be assessing adherence to these principles of each developer – from Carnegie, Cheskel Schwimmer and Chetrit to Hornig, JCAL, Savanna and Somerset, among many others – and sharing the information publicly so that we can best direct the breadth of efforts to protect and uplift our community.
Welcome2TheBronx has just learned from The Observer that New York City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo—the politician from The South Bronx who scandals have a penchant for following her—has announced late today that she will be stepping down from office as of December 31, 2015.
We CANNOT allow The dirty politics of The Bronx Democratic machine to take over this democratic process and install one of their puppets yet again.
This comes to many as a huge surprise for someone who fought so hard to hang on to her council seat through methods deemed less than savory which even landed her in court when during last elections in 2013 she had celebrities such as model Kate Moss and former Yankees Derek Jeter on her ballot petitions.
The top story this morning continues to be how community boards across New York City are striking down de Blasio’s zoning changes. Meanwhile, a look into the world of green taxis, Comptroller Scott Stringer thinks it’s fine time to shut down Rikers, 4 buildings get a new lease on life, and a peek inside the Bronx General Post Office and plans for the landmark.
The New York Times has released an article on a recent poll they conducted which indicates that roughly half of New York City residents are barely able to make ends meet. In The Bronx, that number is at 36%. The Bronx also leads New York City with the percentage of residents (25% of respondents) who do not feel confident that local government elected officials are not addressing the multitude of problems facing our borough.
Last week we reported that 9 of 12 Bronx Community Boards had voted down any changes to the zoning text for Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Affordability and Quality—a cornerstone for Mayor de Blasio’s housing plan to preserve and create 200,000 units of “affordable” housing.
Now, this morning, The Bronx Borough Board and the BP has voted no on MIH and ZAQ which seems to align that with the wishes of the residents of The Bronx as well as with many similar increasing sentiments around New York City.
Now just because Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr voted no, don’t let your guard down just yet.
No Longer Empty Curatorial Lab (NLE Lab) is pleased to present Intersecting Imaginaries at 900 Grand Concourse, a site-responsive exhibition curated by Natasha Bunzl, Dalaeja Foreman, Paola Gallio, Mary Kay Judy, Eva Mayhabal Davis, Lindsey O’Connor, Walter Puryear, and Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle. Including sculpture, photography, installation, video, works on paper and commissioned works by Bronx-based and tri-state area artists, Intersecting Imaginaries considers mapping as a method for understanding place, time, and identity.
The title of the exhibition is borrowed from the philosophical concept of the social imaginary, which considers community to be composed of human interaction and perceived connection. Intersecting Imaginaries melds this abstract understanding with an acknowledgement of external circumstance, presenting a constellation of works that speak to memory and lived experience as composite parts of a map, and as the binding fibers of community.
Facing the Bronx Supreme Courthouse, and mere blocks from Yankee Stadium, the storefront sits in a highly frequented intersection of the South Bronx. These landmarks, each controversial in their own right, arouse singular stories within a diverse borough that inform the cultural and sociopolitical discussion at the heart of the exhibition. The site has served many functions: it was once a ballroom as part of the Concourse Plaza Hotel, a diner, a thrift store, and now stands empty, sharing walls with housing provided by the Mid-Bronx Senior Citizen Council. Remnants of its former lives are evident in the raw space, serving as inspiration and context for works that navigate body politics, racial identity, communities in flux, and the natural environment as both separate and intersecting realities.
8 out of 12 Bronx community boards have voted NO (1 voted yes) so far on the city’s planned changes to the zoning text to include for Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning on Quality and Affordability. This all comes on the eve of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr Bronx Board public hearing to be held tomorrow, Thursday, Nov 12th at 6pm.
Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16th and then every 3 days, The Bronx Documentary Center begins its first ever Annual Women’s Film Series (All screenings begin at 7:30PM).
Check below for the schedule and list of films. This is going to be a very exciting event and we hope to see you there. All screenings are suggested donation:
$5 for Bronx Residents, $10 for General, Free for 18 and Under
New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito continues her popular Follow Me Friday series of highlighting small businesses and cultural spots in her district which covers parts of Mott Haven and Port Morris as well as El Barrio in Manhattan.
Today from 5PM to 7PM she’ll be at one of our favorite local spots, Calientito Restaurant which has some of the best Puerto Rican and Dominican food in the South Bronx hands down.
Join Designing the We for a new conversation on how Undesigning the Redline and contextualizing the work we do in the Bronx, New York City, and beyond opens alternative models, collaborations, and processes where another reality is possible. Check out the interactive exhibit and participate in new conversations, both one-on-one and in small groups.
Never underestimate the power of The Bronx.
On Monday when we started the petition calling for New York City to cancel the contract with Donald Trump at Ferry Point Golf Course after his disparaging remarks and factually incorrect remarks about Mexican immigrants, we thought it was just a pipe dream that we would be heard and listened to.
But now it seems that Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration have hears our collective calls as our petition has reached over 5,000 signatures.
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