Apparently, one of the first redevelopment acts to take place in Newburgh will be the removal of the recently dedicated bronze bust of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from its perch at Dr. King Boulevard and Colden Street, if the city and it’s preferred developer have their way.
Dedicated this past January at a ceremony witnessed by the city’s top officials who stood, according to the press, “at the sidelines” by previous agreement, the bust is to be moved and some streets currently carrying Dr. King’s name are to be renamed before the redevelopment of the downtown waterfront by Leyland Associates begins.
Singer, activist and Newburgh city mayoral candidate Lillie Howard was to the point in her description of the meaning of the proposed move and street renamings. "Who do you think is going to be moved next?” she asked tenants at a recent meeting.
“Think about it – you can hardly make it on the rents that are already in place. There is no rent control or other protection for tenants in place. What do you think it will be like after the townhouses and condos are built on our waterfront and in our downtown?” she asked.
Howard stressed that the present residents need decent-paying jobs and affordable housing, saying that neither of these are a serious and material part of the current administration’s plans for community .redevelopment. She again called on the present city council to adopt her Jobs/TAP proposal for community job training and tuition assistance at the proposed SUNY/Newburgh (see below).
“They are saying something very specific to the community and the larger world by banishing Dr. King from the Newburgh waterfront at the outset of this process,” said Howard. “The question is, is the community listening and will the community hear what is being said in time to do something about it.”
The bust was made by sculptor David Frech, who described how impressed he'd been to see in a documentary about King the man's extraordinary power in the face of anger and hate. In a press account published last January, Frech described the absolute calmness with which King met an angry white man during a protest march in the South. King was, he reportedly said, utterly calm, "simply attentive" to the man.
Frech said a man who knew King described him as "a teacher by word and example."
Howard was concerned about the turnout at a presentation of the proposed King removals last Thursday evening at City Hall, where very few residents of the affected area were in attendance.
“Now is the time to wake up and organize to make sure you will be able to remain in the community,” read a flyer which was handed out to neighborhood residents prior to the meeting.
Howard said that the organizing “has to happen from the ground up and it has to happen soon.” She called on clergy and community leaders to convene “a summit on gentrification” before any formal process is begun by the city or the developer.
Meanwhile, city officials said that they plan to have a Development Agreement prepared for execution within a few weeks. Howard said that this was much too soon to bind the city to a plan when so many affected people have been left out of the process.
“It’s our city, and it’s show time on that” she said. “Now we’ll find out who our real leaders are by their actions. I know that I, for one, will DEFINITELY not go quietly into that good night on this one. The people will soon see who else stands with us – and them.”
DATED March 31, 2007
CONTACT: Lillie Howard at LilHow214@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment