Today's New York Times article is a bit convoluted in connecting the dots with a failed local housing deal to restore apartment buildings on 135th street and recent 125th street rezoning efforts. The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce received several buildings from the city in the 1990's and $10 million in low-cost loans to restore the properties located on the blocks between St. Nicholas Park and ACP/7th Avenue. In 2008, even though the chamber had been failing financially and did not rehabilitate the Harlem buildings, the city gave the organization $2.55 extra million in funding. This happened at about the same time an unpopular city council vote on rezoning 125th Street was approved by a local politician with past ties to GHCC. Read the details in the New York Times: LINK. Photo by Marcus Yam
Thursday, August 12, 2010
☞ READ: Housing Deals & 125th Street Zoning
Today's New York Times article is a bit convoluted in connecting the dots with a failed local housing deal to restore apartment buildings on 135th street and recent 125th street rezoning efforts. The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce received several buildings from the city in the 1990's and $10 million in low-cost loans to restore the properties located on the blocks between St. Nicholas Park and ACP/7th Avenue. In 2008, even though the chamber had been failing financially and did not rehabilitate the Harlem buildings, the city gave the organization $2.55 extra million in funding. This happened at about the same time an unpopular city council vote on rezoning 125th Street was approved by a local politician with past ties to GHCC. Read the details in the New York Times: LINK. Photo by Marcus Yam
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I go back to 'old harlem' of the past half Century. Whenever there is City, State, or Federal Money coming to Harlem, focus on the "Charlie Rangel Machine" and it's extensions. The Chamber of Commerce itself is largely comprised of the unqualified but 'friends of Rangel' through some form or fashion. A relative, a friend, etc. Historically when their is a money sink hole or just major infusion of money, you can play "How Many Degrees of Separation from Charlie Rangel". This goes back decades to the Apollo Theater Scandal with Rangel & Sutton and to "Freedom National Bank" Scandal of Rangel. For you new arrivals, we (Harlem) also had our very own S&L (Savings & Loan) scandal back when they were all the rage in Texas and Arizona.
ReplyDeleteI know most of the employees at the Chamber and they are card carrying long time pals and friends of Charlie, given jobs their resumes don't warrant or fit. And Inez D.? Well she's a Rangel foot soldier. If you're new to Harlem, old school machine politics is still the order of the day here, as seen in this story. Federal, State, & City money poured into Harlem is more times than not filtered through the Rangel machine, it's distribution and jobs connected to it dedicated to 'friends of Rangel.
This story is nothing new, of course it's been a money grab for 'friends of the Rangel machine, but that's how things have always been done in Harlem. Historically no one cared much and the Amsterdam News (under Rangel's thumb) would never shine light on the events like this.
Welcome to Harlem. And Old Rangel is grooming the guy to follow in the tradition of controlling the revenue streams to the guy he will appoint when he steps down after the election, that will be the Harlem politician Keith Wright.
How do they get away with this? If you question the integrity of the Chamber, of Rangel, seek an audit, you will hear the race card thrown at you and be accused of being a racist, etc. and so forth. Rangel's built wuite a machine and made a nice living off of "White Guilt".
I feel like I need to take another shower after reading that article.
ReplyDeleteSing out, Reynolds93
ReplyDeleteYa' know its really sad, like Reynolds93 I too go back more than 50 years in Harlem & lower Washington Hts. and if you include my grandparents then its as far back as the late 1920's. Since I came of age in the 60's I have always asked myself; "when will 'we purge ourselves of this virus called political corruption and be a real neighborhood?' Where it doesn't matter who you know or who knows you, all that matters is that you are a citizen in good standing with rights to particular services, etc.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as we make inroads in one area, another problem rises and we need to form a committee or association of some type that only ends up serving the needs of a few who really don't need its advocacy and provides all sorts of 'no-show' jobs and other perks to peoples' friends, relatives, lovers, etc.
Its a sickening but true reality of life in Harlem; from Harlem Hospital through to the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. One only wonders how many other institutions in Harlem are under someone's thumb or in someone's pocket.
Where is the sense of collective outrage and at what point do we say enough already! When do we stop complaining to one another and collectively put these bastards out on the carpet for all to see? Or maybe, there is so much scandal & corruption that the system would be too overwhelmed trying to adjudicate & resolve it so it becomes; a 'cheaper to keep her' type situation. One of my neighbors went to 'the birthday party' last night and I stayed up to hear about it last night and she started by saying; "Chile!, it was an overwhelming success!"
So much goes on and gets lost in people worrying about Michelle Obama's trip to Spain, and a flight attendant having an entitled meltdown. I say we ALL should have a collective meltdown and let the entire world know; "we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore."
OK time to get down off this cross! Sorry folks
And what is so sad is that if Rangel still runs in November, he will win overwhelmingly. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't get my vote last time, and he won't again. But it won't make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThere's a primary election next month. Is there any potential for getting everybody to line up behind a single challenger to Rangel?
ReplyDeleteI'm a little concerned that even if the unthinkable happens (i.e., a "mad as hell and not going to take it" result at the polls) the protest / new blood vote will be split and Mr. Rangel will still win his renomination with a plurality.
That article was very interesting. I wonder if it will make major waves? I doubt that it will.
ReplyDeleteIt's really a shame when money that is supposed to help poor neighborhoods is just wasted by those who were supposed to administer it. Makes you wonder how some of these people can sleep at night.
I think perhaps what needs to happen is that the very people who are being pimped by these 'poverty pimps' need to be rallied. But unfortunately this will be a significantly labor intensive effort with very poor end-results. These are people who have been beat-down by all the agencies and politicians who are supposed to be there to serve them so they don't complain because there is a sense that their complaints fall on deaf ears. And ya' know what? They're right! So what I don't have hot water, I have water and a roof. So what I can't afford to buy good nutritious food, I can get beef n'broccoli from the chinese joint on the corner and its enough to make 2 meals at $5.00 and its filling and tastes good. So what my kid gets a poor education or goes to a school where the good teachers are spending their time dodging the archaic rules of the DOE and dealing with disruptive kids, at least the kid is in school, everyday, he gets 2 meals and nobody is bothering me, yet!
ReplyDeleteJust like the dudes on W. 125th St. get on their megaphones and blast about 'the man this & the man that!' They need somebody to blast todays NYT article on a megaphone right on the grounds of the State Office Building. Some righteous deacon needs to stand up & read it from the pulpit at Convent Ave. Baptist Church or better yet from Abyssinian this Sunday so all, including the European tourists can hear it. It needs to be read at the general assembly at the UN and finally, someone, someone please, ask; "What happened to the initial $10 million dollars." This city which will fire you for leaving 5 minutes early from your city job, gave an additional $2+ million bucks to a group with no accountability?
It is so, so high time we make these pimps accountable, they are our employees! and we need to act like their employers.
OMG did I get on the cross again? Sorry folks!
Thank you Greg and Reynolds for your comments. I am new to Harlem but I have been upset by much of what I have read and seen about the way Harlem is "run". The dysfunction has severely impaired real growth here and additionally has only hurt the very population it should have helped. I can't wait for the day the Harlem Machine ends but I know it will be awhile.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile Sharpton was at Rangel's b-day party last night and attacked the media by saying:
ReplyDelete"You have started and executed a political execution, so stay tuned for a political resurrection."
Well we all tried to organize to unseat Inez and we didn't even make a dent. It starts to feel hopeless until you remember that time is the great equalizer and they'll all die eventually.
ReplyDeleteI'm likely voting for Morgan, but I don't have much faith that we're going to see anything other than a Rangel blowout this year -- followed by a tightly choreographed coronation of the next machine candidate for NY-15.
ReplyDeleteGreg,
ReplyDeleteShout it out loud and proud! I am of the same area as you and have lived in similiar neighborhoods. It is egregious what has been going on for so many years . I agree where is the outrage? I can only think that people have been down so long they dont know how to change or are apathetic to change.
You know how it goes and you know what is always said, "ain't nothin ever gonna change all politicians are the same" blah blah blah. Harlem is tired and keeps trudging along; it doesn't think that things can be different.
People are so engrossed in their day to day existence that they can't see a way out. Harlem needs new blood and people who have Harlem as its agenda and not their own pockets. The old guard is too firmly entrenched. The thing is how do you get young people motivated when it appears that their labor will be fruitless against the machine?
While i have no dog in this fight and am certainly not an apologist for Charlie Rangel, the Harlem "machine" or the political status quo, I must point out, as I often do, that Harlem has been transformed over the past two decades. Private developers would not have been able to do this without massive efforts of elected officials on behalf of a downtrodden community. (Who brought Bill Clinton's office here?) Corruption is real-here as all over New York City and in every major city-and entrenched systems are slow to change. However, the people of Harlem are not stupid dupes who vote as they are told. They vote for people who have done things for- as well as probably to-them and their community. Maybe Harlem needs new blood, and maybe Charlie Rangel should lose, but if he wins, it won't be for no reason.
ReplyDelete