BY DONATHAN SALKALN | This spring’s heavy rains on Chelsea can’t compare to the deluge of developers beating down the rooftops of our community’s vulnerable—but no one foresaw the City’s intention to allow a private developer to demolish two Robert Fulton Houses NYCHA buildings, in exchange for repair money and three towers made up of 70% market-rate units and 30% Section-8 (aka affordable housing) vouchers.

The sudden news dumped on residents, without discussion or choice, prompted them to organize.

On Saturday, May 11, under a rare sunny sky, a group of Fulton Houses residents gathered in front of 419 W. 17th St. to declare their allegiance to their newly formed Fulton Houses Independent Tenants Association. It was fitting that the meeting took place at the foot of a flagpole dedicated to the Fulton residents who served in our country’s armed forces, as those among the rally will be embarking on a brutal war of their own.

“What are we about? Four words: Keep Public Housing Public!” exclaimed Norman Siegel, legendary civil rights lawyer and former executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The fight is not just for Fulton Housing, not just for all the NYCHA buildings in NYC, but for all across America. Eighty-two years ago this country and this city made a commitment to provide housing for low income people.” Siegel said, referring to the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and NYC Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia. “What happened in that 82-year period is that the federal government decided to withdraw from helping poor people.”

Siegel further stated, “You’ve got to decide among yourselves whether you agree with the plan or disagree with the plan,” adding that if Fulton residents disagree with the plan, he and other lawyers will give them assistance in making sure the city doesn’t demolish the buildings and won’t place residents on Section-8. Siegel explained that the Section-8 voucher system and Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) puts money into a landlord’s pocket, not back into public housing.

Also speaking at the rally were activists Ed Figueroa, of National Mobilization Against Sweatshops, and Louis Flores, of Fight For NYCHA.

They cautioned the group to stand together as one, and to reach out to other groups to join the fight. “When we plan our actions that’s an opportunity for other groups to help us,” said Figueroa, with Flores translating into Spanish. “It’s important for us to all agree that any group that wants to help us has to be honest. They have to oppose the demolition of Fulton Houses, and they have to oppose RAD, they have to oppose Mayor de Blasio publicly, and any other target that we pick.”

At the rally, residents voted Mary McGee as president, Jacqueline Lara as vice president, and Amelia Martinez as secretary of the newly formed Fulton Houses Independent Tenants Association.

Missing from the event was Miguel Acevedo, President of the Fulton Tenants Association. For years, Acevedo has championed Fulton Housing street fairs, prom dress takeaways, 10th Precinct National Night Out Against Crime barbecues, and much more. He wants the best deal possible for Fulton Housing, which would include new boilers and other infrastructure needs, plus a ground-level, low-cost supermarket in one of the proposed buildings that accepts all benefit cards.

While local elected officials have written letters in opposition of the way the plan didn’t include any input from Fulton Housing residents, Manhattan’s Community Board 4 (CB4), which represents the Fulton area, has come out strongly against the redevelopment plan.

In a May drafted letter to Mayor de Blasio and Kathryn Garcia, Interim Chair and CEO of NYCHA (which has since been ratified and mailed), CB4 wrote, “It is a precedent we don’t want to set and an image (wrecking balls hitting the walls of public housing) we do not want to see. MCB4 wants to explore other alternatives to the demolition and the construction on site of luxury housing.”

No matter what plan Fulton Housing residents choose, voting in mass, in all the elections, will be key to ensuring elected officials share their values and views. Residents of the 11 buildings of Fulton vote in numbers a fraction of those residents among the 10 buildings of Chelsea’s Penn South (Mutual Redevelopment Housing).

NOTE: Donathan Salkaln, who authored this opinion piece, is an Executive Committee member of the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club. On June 20th, he and CRDC VP Evelyn Suarez, a Fulton Housing resident, are hosting a NYCHA program at Hudson Guild’s Elliott Center (441 W. 26th St. btw. 9th & 10th Aves.), starting at 7pm. All are welcome and refreshments will be served. For more info, contact Salkaln, via donsalkaln@gmail.com. To contact the Fulton Houses Independent Tenants Association contact Jacqueline at jackielara1963@gmail.com.

NOTE: Contributions to our Community Voices section do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Chelsea Community News.

Chelsea Community News is made possible with the help of our awesome advertisers, and the support of our readers. If you like what you see, please consider taking part in our GoFundMe campaign (click here). To make a direct donation, give feedback about the site, or send a Letter to The Editor, email us at Scott@chelseacommunitynews.com.