Here's an audio report, 8:40 in length, on the Press Conference
yesterday, re: Sale of the public libraries.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/gm6cif7by1fcvqd/FINAL_Press_Conference_Library_Privatizatio.mp3
Please air it!
NYC is selling on-the-cheap its public libraries to private real
estate developers, which are then slated for demolition and sometimes
rebuilding on a much smaller scale.
The Brooklyn Borough Board will be voting TODAY on the deBlasio
administration's proposal, which has already passed the City Council
and now goes to the Brooklyn Boro President and Brooklyn Boro Board.
The NY Post has run detailed investigations for the last two Sundays
into the corruption involved in disposing of these properties, and
the lies of Brooklyn Public Library Chair Linda Johnson -- a
Bloomberg era appointee - who makes a whopping $400,000 a year
salary, and who was brought in precisely to implement the
privatization schemes that continue -- and indeed are expanded --
under Mayor deBlasio.
Mitchel Cohen filed this report from Brooklyn Boro Hall.
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I broke the story on WBAI radio beginning last November about the
sale of our public libraries, in 4 segments. Jillian Jonas followed
up on WBAI. For the last 2 Sundays, now, the NY Post picked it up,
broke new ground, and absolutely clobbered deBlasio on it. (see below)
First report:
<https://archive.org/details/FINALSHORTLIBRARYREPORT>Report on
November 18, 2015 City Council Subcommittee hearing
Second report:
<http://www.mediafire.com/listen/zbn2xl0z209n5eo/Selling+off+the+Libraries+-+Interview+with+Steve+Levin.mp3>November
30, 2015 Interview with Steve Levin About Selling off the Libraries
This includes Steve Levin's denial that a compromise deal to sell off
the Brooklyn Heights library was in the offing. It also include the
story (activism and Domino project related) of how he met his wife.
Third report:
<http://www.mediafire.com/listen/4xzod717373ixlb/LIBRARIES+-+OUTSIDE+LEVIN%27S+OFFICE.wav>Report
on Citizens Defending Libraries December 9, 2015 Event Gathering
Outside Councilman Steve Levin's Office evening BEFORE the City Council vote,
Fourth report:
<http://www.mediafire.com/listen/g585k6q38bxdc6q/FINAL+-+LIBRARY+TO+BE+SOLD.wav>Report
on Citizens Defending Libraries December 10, 2015 Event Gathering
Outside Councilman Steve Levin's Office evening AFTER the City Council vote
This includes Councilman Mark Treyger explaining councilmen votes and
discusison of Stephen Levin's sellout of the community.
Upcoming: Report on another sweetheart deal in regard to the Sunset
Park public library and the despicable role of "progressive" Park
Slope City Council member Brad Lander, who used to head the Fifth
Avenue Committee that pitted affordable housing against community
gardens, and now is doing the same re: libraries. He's behind the
Fifth Avenue Committee being awarded a No-Bid contract to "develop"
so-called "affordable" housing on top of the Sunset Park Library. The
Brooklyn Heights library fiasco follows the Bloomberg
administration's sale of the Donnell library some years back, which
Lander and deBlasio are running with in setting the precedent for the
Sunset Park and other public libraries.
Here's from Michael D. D. White <[log in to unmask]>:
Today's (Sunday's) NY Post has an eviscerating story about the
sweetheart details of de Blasio's giveaway of the Brooklyn Heights library:
Not only was Kramer (the Hudson Companies), de Blasio friend
and political contributor, a low bidder, he was 20% lower than
another of the two bids that surpassed him.
The competing bidders put the "affordable" units on site,
unlike Kramer putting them two miles away.
The Story:
New York Post: Developer with ties to de Blasio scores job,
despite being outbid, By Aaron Short, February 21, 2016
http://nypost.com/2016/02/21/developer-with-ties-to-de-blasio-scores-job-despite-being-outbid/
In the article:
- Library hand-off is "directly contrary to de Blasio's stated
goals for development projects."
- "sweetheart deal to politicallly connected supporter"
- Kramer "was not going tto be the winning guy pre-de-Blasio."
- "real-estate insiderss were flabbergasted."
- "This is the only project I ever did that didn't go to the
highest bidder," one source said. "I've never seen it before."
Remember, all this has to be put in context: Kramer was the low
bidder for a library that should not even be sold. He was only
bidding for the value of the site as a vacant lot. He was bidding
only for the "tear-down" value fo the library. His bid was no way
and no how even related to the value of the library to the public
from the public's perspective, because de Blasio and the BPL were
selling off the library with no appraisal of the value of the library
from the public's perspective.- This is a recently enlarged and fully
upgraded library that would cost more than $120 million to replace.
This reporting is great news. We knew from, and pointed out baaed on
the City Planning Commission hearings that Kramer was not the low
bidder, but the release of these additional details should be
devastating to de Blasio and those who have plotted to sell the library.
This is also an example of exactly why it is so absolutely atrocious
that there has been no insistence on greater transparency with
respect to this deal, something that, among other things we have been
publicly chiding Stephen Levin about because it is his basic duty as
a City Councilman to insist on it.
Again, stay tuned for more!!
Don't forget to use social medie to pass this along.
It's been Tweeted
https://twitter.com/DefendLibraries
And it's on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/CitizensDefendingLibraries/photos/a.494569923934652.109236.494274553964189/1037431176315188/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/CitizensDefendingLibraries/photos/a.494569923934652.109236.494274553964189/1037436549647984/?type
MICHAEL D. D. WHITE
Citizens Defending Libraries
http://citizensdefendinglibraries.blogspot.com/
Noticing New York
http://noticingnewyork.blogspot.com/
National Notice
http://nationalnotice.blogspot.com/
W: (718) 834-6184
C: (917) 885-1478
[log in to unmask]
*************************************************
See also:
Mitchel Cohen's letter to City Council member Laurie Cumbo:
I sent the following inquiry to Laurie Cumbo .... Never got a reply:
Hi Ms. Cumbo,
I am continuing a series of stories aired on WBAI on the proposal to
sell the Brooklyn Heights public library to a real estate developer,
who will build a 36-story luxury condo tower on the site and replace
the existing library after a number of years with a much smaller one
to be located in that tower. As you know, that proposal was passed by
the City Council a few weeks ago.
Those WBAI stories included an interview with Council member Steve
Levin, whose office is on Atlantic Avenue and just across Bond St. from WBAI.
While many council members were clearly uncomfortable with voting in
favor of the proposal (and a number stated privately that they
actually opposed it, even though they voted for it), several
expressed that they felt obligated to go along with it because, they
said, it was Steve Levin's call as it was taking place in his
district and they'd need his vote when proposals in their own
districts come up.
On the other hand, you expressed no such difficulty. You explained
your YES vote in the following way (and I quote):
"Over the last few months I have watched as you [Steven Levin] have
stood in the face of adversity. You have been ridiculed, insulted,
threatened, and even bashed in public hearings and meetings. And is
that is not the Brooklyn that I know, and that is not the Brooklyn
that I love. You have stood strong and have made this deal a better
one. ... So I thank you for your courage. I thank you for your
bravery. I thank you for standing strong, because you had a difficult
decision to make. Thank you."
The group "Citzens Defending Libraries" also points to this as one of
the more bizarre quotes by City Council members. They write:
"Cumbo supplies the time frame of multiple months of abuse and throws
in made up details about Levin getting abuse in various forms
including even at public hearings and meetings. ... It never
happened! ... It never happened because the public never knew that
Levin was selling them out. No part of "Brooklyn" was excoriating
Levin and that's because the public just found out days ago. But it
looks like Laurie is letting the cat out of the bag about what she
knew months ago. She seems to view it as a long process of his
"standing strong" with his decision, a decision unwelcome in the community."
When I interviewed Levin a week before the vote (Listen
<http://www.mediafire.com/listen/zbn2xl0z209n5eo/Selling_off_the_Libraries_-_Interview_with_Steve_Levin.mp3>HERE),
he stated unequivocally that there were no new proposals offered, no
negotiations going on, and that the overwhelming majority of people
in his district opposed the proposal. He did not mention that he had
received any ridicule, adversity, or threats from those who'd opposed
the proposal -- and why would he, as he repeatedly stated that he
himself was not in favor of the proposal as it stood?
I'll be reviewing all of this in my next story for WBAI. So, I am
asking you whether you want to stand by your comments, withdraw them,
or explain them, given these circumstances. Do you have any specific
details for your accusation against opponents of the deal, that they
engaged in ridicule, adversity and threats against Levin for months?
In addition, were you privvy to any plans to amend or supplement the
original proposal before they were introduced by Levin?
(Note: I included, quite favorably, comments you made a year ago in a
story WBAI aired on a demonstration against police brutality and
murders that blocked Flatbush Avenue & Fulton St. following an event
at BRIC ... you can hear that report
<http://www.mediafire.com/listen/hcehz875nw4q449/BROOKLYN_PROTEST_December_7_2014.mp3>HERE.)
Thank you.
Mitchel Cohen
WBAI radio news
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