Harlem residents continue to rally in front of vacant building
Silent Voices United Inc. and the St. Nicholas Houses Resident Association continued their demands for affordable housing at 2201 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. this past weekend. They gathered in front of the vacant luxury building.
“Our mission is to give a voice to those who have no voice,” said Tiffany Fulton, who heads Silent Voices United. “We stand united, a diverse community with a shared purpose.”
According to the city, the original developer went bankrupt and the new owner was going to lease the building to a nonprofit with the assumption that it would be used as a shelter for asylum seekers. The community realized the city had not held a public forum or informed Community Board 10 of any plans for the 53-unit building in question at 2201 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. Organizers angrily railed against resources not being prioritized for residents and put the word out to come together to stop it, which prompted Mayor Eric Adams to visit the community twice to try and smooth things over.
Last week, property owners allowed residents on a walkthrough of the building where they were not allowed to take pictures, they said. Fulton said that the community’s demands for the vacant building to be slated for permanent low-income targeted housing are not being met by the city or the owners.
Ruth McDaniels, another organizer, said that the Black community in Harlem has been overlooked for decades. “Enough is enough,” said McDaniels. “That’s where we are right now. We’re not going to just sit back and allow people, mayors, or governors, or anyone for that matter, to just come in and tell us that they’re going to allow people to come in and take our housing.”
Manhattan Democratic District Leader for the 70 Assembly District William Allen spoke at the rally about the Harlem community being “sold out” for the sake of gentrification a generation ago, which has led to a dearth of affordable housing.
“Gentrification is a public policy, your government supports that. That’s a government policy that says that we want to move you out,” said Allen. “So your presence and continued presence means a lot.”
Allen encouraged the groups to keep pressure on local politicians for results.
“Our office has been made aware of plans to change the use of this building and we stand with you that this community is an active participant in the housing plan taking place in this district,” said Shanny Herrera, who is the District Manager for Councilmember Yusef Salaam. “We look forward to being part of the conversation.”
Longtime Harlem resident Trevor Whittingham is a native of Jamaica who owns a locksmith and hardware store in the city. He claims rightful ownership of the vacant building and asserted that he’s been in court since 2011 trying to get his property back. According to the New York City Department of Finance Office of the City Register, Whittingham has shown up on the deed information for the building for at least a decade. He said the building was put in a trust which he is the sole beneficiary of.
Craig Schley and Shana Harmongoff, assembly candidates in the upcoming 70th District race, also made an appearance at the rally.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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