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The Court Ties Our Hands Under
Racism, Prejudice and Classism
Our ancestors (both Black and White) fought hard in this country to be able to be treated fairly and equally. During the 50’s and 60’s people were lynched, murdered, beaten, set on fire, arrested, because they dared to challenge and demand a better day, a day where the color of one’s skin would not determine how they would be treated.
70 years later that fight continues and still the racism and prejudice continues not just in the streets but in the Courtrooms of New York City.
June 10, 2021, during the solar eclipse (where things are brought to the light), racism, prejudice and classism played its ugly head in the Brooklyn Supreme Court, under Justice Levine, as three African-American residents from the Crown Heights/Flatbush community attempted to get the same treatment as the White moderate to upper middle class residents of Gowanus and So Ho No Ho.
All three of these communities went to the same court asking for the same thing, using the exact same arguments; they all wanted an in-person hearing on the rezoning application that was happening in their community. They all stated that it was unfair and violated the law for the City not to conduct an in-person hearing and just conducting a virtual one would prevent countless residents from attending and being able to voice their opinion, a right that has been given to them by the City’s Charter.
Two of the parties, Gowanus and Crown Heights/Flatbush communities were in front of the same Judge, Judge Katherine Levine, and the other is in Manhattan under Judge Arthur Engoron.
Despite the exact similarities the Judicial system perpetuated racism and classism as Judge Levine made the determination that only the Gowanus residents had the right to have an in-person hearing on their rezoning and not the Crown Heights/Flatbush Petitioners and community.
Gowanus got their in-person hearing on June 3, 2021 and So Ho No Ho will be having theirs on June 23, 2021. [1]But not Crown Heights/Flatbush.
Why? Because the Crown Heights/Flatbush community could not raise the money necessary to have a lawyer represent them but instead attempted to exercise their constitutional rights to a fair trial, an open court and the right to litigate in the court of law without an attorney.
These rights were stripped from three African-Americans, LaShaun Ellis, Michael Hollingsworth (who is running for City Council) and Alicia Boyd (a long time Pro se litigant). Showing how racist and prejudice our Judicial system is and how a change is needed, if we are to get Justice in the streets and in the Courts!
[1]T he virtual hearing on Bruce Eichner’s high rise development along the Brooklyn Botanic Garden happened, on Monday, June 21, where it was noted that there was an absence of the residents from the Community. Community Board 9 sent one notice on Friday via the internet about the hearing happening on Monday, despite knowing about the hearing at least 10 days prior. Most of the people who showed up did not live in the community but were affiliated with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Most of them were white people who had the opportunity to voice their concern because they had access to computers, internet service and up to date wifi.
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