On Saturday, Mayor de Blasio signed a five day order aimed at stripping the residents of their rights to challenge the unlawful Uniform Land Use Review Procedure “ULURP” rezoning process being conducted by the City.
Come out and Support Our Efforts To Stop this act of racism and prejudice against residents that reside in low to moderate communities of color who wish to protect their community and its green spaces.
Protest, Rally & Speak Out
Against the Mayor’s Executive Order
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at Noon
(In front of City Hall, Across the Street from 1 Centre Street)
The Movement To Protect the People “MTOPP”, and Gowanus will be conducting a Protest, Rally and Speak Out against Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Order which removed the power of the Brooklyn Supreme Court to settle disputes between the City and residents challenging the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure “ULURP”.
The Mayor’s in-sensitivity to people of color who are without the means and resources to participate in virtual-hearings, is just shameful.
We are claiming that Mayor de Blasio does not have the authority to change the City Charter via an Executive Order which specifically targets two rezoning (Gowanus and 960 Franklin Ave) being challenged in the court, and his actions are racist and prejudice against people of color, including the elderly, handicap and low to moderate income residents in our communities.
Additional Details
During the COVID 19 pandemic, community groups, especially low to moderate residents of color around the city have experience the inability to participate in all types of virtual on-line platforms.
Despite this disadvantage which specifically deprives people of color from engaging in their rights to be heard and to have their input incorporated into rezoning proposals, the Mayor de Blasio decided to reinstate the Land Use Review Procedure without any accommodations to people who do not have access to internet, WiFi or even computer equipment.
Both the Gowanus Rezoning and the private rezoning of 960 Franklin Ave (rezoning along the Brooklyn Botanic Garden) applications were put on hold via Temporary Restraining Orders“TROs” that were signed by the Brooklyn Supreme Court. The City went to the Appellant 2nd Department to try to overturn these two TROs, but were rejected.
Both lawsuits made the claim that the lawful ULURP process requires in-person hearings and the virtual-hearings would not allow many residents the ability to the engage in the ULURP process denying their due process rights under the law.
In the Gowanus lawsuit they made assumptions of residents who would be prevented from participating in the ULURP process, but the first hearing that was conducted for the 960 Franklin Rezoning application, had hundreds of people who were denied access to the virtual-hearing.
Judge Levine, from the Brooklyn Supreme Court who is residing over both cases had made it clear that she wanted the City to address the issue and find a solution for people who wished to engage in these hearings but were being deprived due to the limitations of the virtual-hearing format.
The City has refused and now Mayor de Blasio decided to completely ignore over 40% of the population located in Crown Heights who don’t have access to computers, WiFi, or high speed internet, and cancel the in-person hearing requirements.
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