 On Thursday, May 8th,James Manning of the Atlah Baptist church discussed numerous topics such as housing and the rezoning of 125th street at the No Dew, Nor Rain town hall meeting One of the many speakers, Macia Prescott, spoke about getting people out to vote to so they as residents of the community could have politicians that represent their interests. She said that many residents of the community are democrat but she feels that the Democratic Party has taken advantage of the community. While people were getting voting registration cards, she advocated that people shouldn't sign to any particular party so they can feel free to vote for anyone that they believe supports their interests. After she finished speaking, James Manning spoke. Manning said that the rezoning projects in Harlem have no respect for the historic monuments within the community. He said that No Dew, Nor Rain (NDNR) creates the only voice for the Harlem community. He said that the political action committee of No Dew, Nor Rain teaches the residents of the community how to respond to the presence and pressure of wealthy politicians. Manning also stated that most of the black-owned businesses within the community support gentrification and that the majority of them have not publicly opposed it. He also stated that none of the businesses are participating in the project. He said that businesses that support the project would not be affected by the boycott.  During an interval, members of the community voiced their opinions about what is occurring within the community. The majority felt that the stores and the new developments were not at fault. They said it is the politicians that are allowing this to happen because of their underlying interests. One resident that spoke was Mylinda Lee, an advocate for special needs children, and she said that the landlord had raised the rent astronomically and that she was not able to afford it. Another resident said that the community should not wait for new elections, but petition the removal of the politicians because he felt the community as a whole could do so. Carolyn Nowell, co-chairperson of the committee, spoke about her experiences with the politicians that have represented the community and she said that she felt that they were voting on legislature with their own interest in mind. She said that she is running for council against Melissa Mark-Viverto and that she will be the voice and fighter of the community. Carlton Berkley, member of the 100 Black Men in Law enforcement and member of the No Dew, Nor Rain political action committee, said over 70% of the high priced housing units were not inhabited which shows that many people can't afford them. The No Dew, Nor Rain political action committee helps members of the community with issues such as Housing, Legal issues and numerous other things that may affect members within the community. No Dew, Nor Rain (NDNR) was started a year ago by the Honorable James David Manning of Atlah Baptist Church in Harlem. The No Dew, Nor Rain is a project designed to boycott stores in the Harlem community. The motive behind this project is that the people of the committee feel that the money that is put into these stores is put into the banks that give loans to developers that build the unaffordable housing units that the residents of the community can't afford. 
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed