The community of Cooper Square, in opposition to slum clearances slated to hit the neighborhood, developed a committee to stop these actions from happening and preserve the neighborhood. They built coalitions, held demonstrations, and spoke out about the many wrongdoings of Robert Moses. Seeing a community fight against powerful people with plans to rezone and bulldoze a community into oblivion is refreshing to say the least. Agnotti states an important takeaway from the Cooper Square community, saying, “the Cooper Square story also suggests that the most important element in perpetual affordability is perpetual organizing and protest, particularly when the organizing and protest are tied to broader social and political movements”. Without inspired people that actually care about the communities they reside who hope to see their communities stay intact and not demolished, who knows what kind of neighborhoods people like Robert Moses would turn them into?
The work of such dedicated people reminds me of the GOAT of community organization and mobilization, Leslie Knope. Reading about Frances Goldin and Esther Rand reminded me of the beloved character on the legendary TV show Parks and Recreation. The people of the Cooper Union community exhibited extreme Leslie Knope qualities in their actions and passion for the place they loved. Cooper Square was their Pawnee and it showed. Much like when Leslie filibustered Jeremy Jamm for trying to disenfranchise Pawnee voters or tying herself to the gate of the Newport family estate to protest the removal of an historical landmark, these people showed their love for the area. Maybe not as much as Ms. Knope did, but having tenth of her dedication is enough to bring about organization and change to their community.
What also was characteristic of the Leslie Knope experience was the amount of chaos and losses amidst all of the organization and teamwork. In communities like Melrose Commons, there was still problems with land use in the area and the lack of community involvement in the future plans of the area. An internal division was still somewhat present even with hardworking and dedicated people focused on alleviating those problems, much like Leslie Barbara Knope.
