Unfortunately, I have never been a very active member of the community in which I live. I have no experience with the ins and outs of local policy making, and so taking the opportunity to become further familiarized with these institutions peeked my curiosity. It was interesting  to see just how “democratic” the process was, given that my relationship with government has always been on more macro levels, in which a lot of the decisions left up to the citizens are limited to their capability to elect a representative. In this setting, I felt what I imagined to be the aura of ancient Athenian assemblies, although the voting processes were not conducted due to the fact the quorum was not met. The meeting was short three participators in order to be considered a real meeting, so technically it wasn’t an official meeting at all. It was rather something of a community discussion in which the major points of concern in the neighborhood were discussed, and potential approaches to solving said problems are proposed.

Sunset Park is dealing with a number of problems that seem to all stem out of the over crowding which plagues the neighborhood.Sunset Park is statistically the most overcrowded neighborhood with an estimated 35% of its residents living in severely overcrowded conditions. The first of these is the the housing crisis in Sunset Park. There is a general acknowledgment that their very little supply of affordable housing in Sunset Park, but the homelessness statistics eschew this as most of the families unable to find housing resort to illegal arrangements in which they double up in apartments resided in by friends or family. This is both a source of income for the original inhabitants and a way to keep their friends and families out of the housing system. A system which often relocates families to far off neighborhoods, while the children of said families remained enrolled in Sunset Park schools, vastly increasing the difficulty of transportation. It was suggested that there be a Shelter built in Sunset Park in order to help keep struggling families within the neighborhood and allow them a chance to re establish themselves locally. Those opposed to this proposition rallied behind the lack of space to build such an establishment, while it’s supporters suggested a building with multiple uses would validate the use of the precious space.

The education system is also suffering as a product of the overcrowding. There is an already approved grade school in the works. The committee was confident they could obtain the much needed land, in order to find seats for the ridiculous amount of kids without seats in school. The problem is the location of the land, which is on one of the neighborhoods most dangerous avenues. Many suggestions were made in the hopes of finding a way to keep the children safe getting to and leaving school. Overpass bridges, tunnels and cross guards were among these.

Due to the lack of quorum all of these suggestions were saved to be voted on during the following months meeting.

On Thursday, February 12^th, I attended a meeting of Community Board No. 8 at the Weeksville Heritage Center in Crown Heights. The venue appeared to be out of place in relation to the larger Crown Heights neighborhood and a visual misrepresentation of the area. The meeting began as scheduled with a call to order, roll call, acceptance of minutes and correspondence. It was when the “action items” were introduced that audience members began to vocalize their opinions. During the first hour of the meeting, for which I was present, the primary topic was the construction of a hospital facility. This proposal was introduced by two white males, who appeared to be corporate puppets and wildly out of place. According to the two men, construction of the facility would be complete in eighteen months. Upon completion, the men boasted that the facility would create 150 jobs in addition to current staff. In response, audience members began to question the permanence of such jobs and who would hold these jobs. Older, African American residents posed the majority of questions. The audience members posed questions quicker than the two men could answer. In response, one audience member was told to “Wait to be recognized by the chair.” This strikes me as a futile effort to bring order to the responses of residents who obviously feel passionate about this issue. In an ideal world, dispassionate residents would voice their concerns in a uniform, “one at a time” manner. This exchange of important questions and empty answers continued and hostility from residents continued to escalate. At one point, a community board official passively remarked, “Community board members did not read the packet.” The topic was left unresolved with a community board official stating that further questions and opinions could be communicated via email. The meeting was what one who watches Parks and Recreation could expect. However, the ideal government employee Leslie Knope would not leave any questions unanswered. Upon my departure, the community board had only addressed half of the items on the agenda. This begs the question of what time the meeting ended and were there any topics as time-consuming as first? Did the audience members receive any direct answers about later questions they may have raised?

Lacking any background information about this facility and the political make-up of Crown Heights, I am unable to really understand the significance of this facility. Some questions that could have helped me better understand are: When had the audience members first heard of the facility? Was it at an earlier community board meeting? Did those audience members who spoke out, belong to a larger neighborhood association? If so, is there any one specific association spear heading this opposition? Will there be any future protests at the construction site or community board meetings?

Meeting time & location: 6:00pm to 7:30pm on February 12^th, 2015 at Board office, 1664 Park Avenue in East Harlem

This meeting was conducted by the environment, open space & parks committee. “The Parks committee is charged with the responsibility of working closely with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, its affiliate organizations, Elected Officials and other state and federal environmental agencies, to ensure the preservation, conservation, maintenance, renovation and enjoyment of East Harlem Parks, playgrounds, ball fields, recreational facilities, community gardens, riverbanks, open public land and green spaces for East Harlem citizens.”

During the meeting, the committee addressed the James Weldon Johnson Playground, located on 103^rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues. In the previous meeting, the residents had asked for a variety of improvements to the playground, including better lighting, new swings and other equipment, training equipment, sprinklers for children, a leisure area for the elderly and last but not least open the P.S 57 school playground to the general. In this meeting, they discussed how they planned to resolve these issues. They put into place a plan that defined regions of open public space and other regions designated for children, adults or elderly leisurely activities. They included a drainage system for rainwater. They even planned to create a gate in order to allow access to the P.S 57 playground. They also increased lighting and placed in walkways for easier access. The two questions raised by the guests in the meeting were will there be a dedicated children’s playground area for children and parents? and Dedicated areas for senior exercise and seating? In the meeting, they had stated that there will in fact be a children’s playground and seating for the elderly. They also agreed that the meager wall, with a mural on it, will not be removed. They will also place two water fountains. Unfortunately, they will not be able to add a full court basketball court due to insufficient space. The James Weldon Johnson Playground was one of 35 parks targeted by Mayor Bill De Blasio in the community Parks Initiative. $130 million dollars were provided to help restructure 35 under-maintained parks.

The meeting also had guest speaker Rasheed Hoslop, Deputy Director of GreenThumb Community Gardening Program. The program provides material support, property management, educational planning and citywide events. I thought this was an excellent program since it provided a means for the community to gather together to improve their community. I was disappointed since the meeting only seemed to focus on two parks, whereas many parks in East Harlem are under-maintained and under-funded. I was made aware that there were a few requests that they had not addressed this meeting including the addition of more park patrol personnel in a few parks as well as improve a playground and a few Esplanades (open public areas). I had also read before attending the meeting that they had planned to add a skate park to Thomas Jefferson Park but they did not address it. From what I’ve read it seems they will be starting soon since the skate park designed was approved.

6:30 PM on 18 February found me sitting in a foldout chair in the Sunset Park Community Board Office. It was a ridiculously cold evening, and quorum in the neighbourhood is astonishingly high. There were at least eighteen people in the small room, not counting my group-mates, but we were about three short from making the meeting official. Public comment was still made – Sunset Park has a very active community and multiple meetings at any given time, and elected officials or their offices made appearances – and the Housing and Education Committees delivered reports.

Housing Committee Chair Marcela Mitaynes addressed the board on the housing crisis in the neighbourhood. Sunset Park has a family shelter, but it only has six units available. According to recent statistics, 47 of the families who went through the Bronx Intake Centre in 2014 were from Sunset Park; it is unlikely they will return to their neighbourhood. Many families don’t even make it to the shelters; it is estimated that 35% of the community live in severely overcrowded conditions, making Sunset Park the neighbourhood with the highest overcrowding. Families illegally double-up in housing – either as a way to make a bit of extra money by partitioning their homes and renting out rooms, or just as a way to keep friends and family out of the system. Because the neighbourhood has such large immigrant populations, the board believes that it’s possible that they are unaware of their resources.

Some solutions are being considered to this problem: affordable housing could be built over the Sunset Park library, hotels could be used as shelters – and in some cases, already are – or Brooklyn could get an intake centre in the Bedford Avenue Armoury. Building a shelter in Sunset Park would certainly alleviate the issue as well, although Chairwoman Mitaynes acknowledged that there is a stigma surrounding shelters. The argument for the shelter would include the fact that it could be used as a community residential resource.

One of the members of the Education Committee presented on a positive development for the neighbourhood: the NYC Department of Education approved the construction of a new, 676-seat primary/intermediate school in Sunset Park on 3rd Avenue between 59th and 60th St, which is projected to open in 2019. There is a severe deficit of educational facilities in Sunset Park; by 2019, it’s projected that schools will be enrolled at up to 156% of their capacity. The new school would lighten that burden a little.

There are, however, stipulations: first, the committee is still in negotiations with the landowners. Second, due to the overcrowding in schools, a larger building might be a better project to pursue. Third, 3rd Avenue is infamously dangerous, and child safety is a huge concern in the building of this project. The board would like to pursue aid from the Department of Transportation and School Construction Authority to resolve this matter. Accepting the project was meant to have been voted upon at this meeting, but due to the lack of quorum, it was deferred. A resolution is due to the NYC School Construction Authority by 19 March.

The public meeting that I attended was for the neighborhood of East Harlem and for the Environment, Open Space and Parks Committee. This meeting took place on Thursday, February 12^th at 6:00 p.m. It was called to order by the chair of the committee, Frances Mastrota. One of the major topics that were discussed were the GreenThumb community gardens. Rasheed Hislop is the Deputy Director who made various announcements about these gardens. GreenThumb gives away different materials each year to help maintain the community gardens. Some of these materials include soil, compost, garbage bags, and a variety of gardening tools. Ways of preserving the gardens during the new gardening seasons was also mentioned. This includes creating fencing to protect the gardens from any outsiders.

The GreenThumb program is also trying to gather more assistance by creating partnerships with different greening groups. Some of the gardens that were mentioned during the presentation were the Harlem Rose Garden and El Catano. Another topic discussed about the GreenThumb program is the types of services that it provides for the people in East Harlem. Social events are hosted and fresh fruits and vegetables are grown. These gardens “beautify” the neighborhood and give it a source of positive energy. The community gardens also participate in rainwater harvesting, which I found to be very interesting. Near the end of the meeting, a man named Charlie Reynoso, who is the Regional Engagement Manager of the New York Restoration Project, mentioned that there would be a new community garden in the neighborhood. He also said that work would begin on this project in September 2015.

Another topic that was discussed during this public meeting was the James Weldon Johnson Playground. There are plans on improving the playground equipment and installing spraying showers for children to play in during the summer. Senior citizens will receive a seating area as well. There was a question asked about this during the meeting. Adults will also have the chance to exercise at this playground because workout equipment will be made available. I think this is a great addition because it will allow adults to be more active when they take their children to the playground. These playground improvements are for people of all ages, not just the children.

This public meeting was both fun and interesting to listen to. I enjoyed hearing about the community garden plans because this is a great way to get people in the community involved and to also improve the neighborhood of East Harlem. Gardens can provide beautification to the area and also enhance the moods of people who pass by them. I would love to have learned more about the current community gardens and how well people are responding to them. Making improvements on the playground is also important for both the children and adults who want to visit when the weather gets warmer. Maintaining green spaces and public areas in East Harlem is needed to allow the neighborhood to thrive.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend tonight’s meeting and get to know some pretty cool and caring individuals. Although there were only 6 other people in the room, I felt like it was a productive time.

Before the others arrived, I had the chance to talk for a while with Ms. Akosua Albritton, the chairperson of the Youth & Family Services Committee. She spoke to me about the general functions and ways in which most committees operate. Out of the 59 community boards in NYC, 18 of them originate from Brooklyn. She says that this particular committee has been around for years and that she has been a member since 1999. She says she has seen three other chairmen ever since she attends the meetings and that she has never heard the issue of gentrification being discussed by this particular committee—I did ask if she had heard anything about it, because it’s definitely a prevalent issue currently affecting many families in the area. So this response was somewhat unexpected.

The meeting got started around 6:45pm. She had prepared an agenda with four main ideas to discuss and Ms. Albritton made it very clear from the beginning that any opinion, suggestion, or comment was welcome even from non-members.

Synthetic Cannabinoids and Cathinones, also known as “K2” and “Bath salts”, was one of the main topics brought to the committee’s attention. I was mind-blown as I kept hearing more about this new product, which seems to be pretty common in the streets nowadays. One of the members, Mr. Lee, was distraught by the fact that if it wasn’t the high school teen buying such “spice(s)”, then it was the junior high school one buying them for the elementary kids, and if they still couldn’t have access to it, the older folks were now making a business out of it, to not only consume it themselves, but also purchasing the-now-illegal substance—according to Mr. Albritton, K2’s use only became prohibited as of December of 2014—to then resell it to the younger populations. This issue is of such concern, that she, with the help of another committee member, put together a pamphlet to inform the public about the facts of this commonly used drug. The chairperson asked us for suggestions as to where these pamphlets should be placed for an effective distribution to the community.

Another interesting topic that was discussed: the D.R.E.A.M.S. Youthbuild & Young Adult Training Program. Ms. Albritton shared with us that she had been asked to go to their facilities and educate that particular youth group about the different committees that exist within their neighborhoods and how they can get involved once they complete their trainings. She was also pretty excited because a few of them showed an incredible amount of interest in regards to creating/planning an event with her to educate parents and the youth about the dangers of K2 use. Because knowing about the effects of these things can’t hurt…

On February 19^th, 2015, I attended committee meetings for Community Board 9, which is a community board that covers Crown Heights. The committees that spoke and had issues discussed were the Environmental Committee and the Parks, Recreation, and Culture Committee. When the Environmental discussions arose, a representative from Citizen Climate Lobby was presented. This person, Ms. Gina Casati, was part of a group that wishes for companies to have their carbon taxes levied if they extract raw material for energy usage. So any company that isn’t “green” and uses material such as oil, wood, coal, and such would have to have a tax imposed on them. Furthermore, this tax would be used to redistribute wealth (on a very small scale) because it would be redistributed to the public. This is a very interesting and extremely environmentally friendly idea, because it would force companies to find more earth-friendly methods of producing energy. This concept is great is in theory, but I would really like to find out which companies would have this tax imposed upon them and also how would it be decided which type of materials would come under the guidelines. It would be very intriguing to follow up and see how Citizen Climate Lobby progresses in the near future. Ms. Casati did mention that she is working with Congress’ Yvette Clark and the office to gain attention for this matter.

The second committee was discussing various environmental neighborhood projects. One of the projects being discussed was the Herbman Garden that would be made on the grounds of the Kingsboro Psychiatric Center. This garden would be made for “medicinal” purposes, and that seeds for the garden have already been purchased thanks to the non-profit named ProBono. Though seeds may have been purchased, consent from the NYCD of Mental Health is still needed, as well as the necessary funding and enough volunteers for this project. The second project that was discussed was the Wingate Playground. While there was no representative present from the parks department, a community board 9 member recommended that a new track and field. Community gardens and playgrounds are always a good idea. Gardens provide for a peaceful environment for people to practice the healing hobby that is gardening. Moreover, in this technologically advanced age, any encouragement to go outside and enjoy nature is a good one. A new track and field could initiate new events that would bring the community closer together. Lastly, Ms. Hackett-Vieira, another community board 9 member, had another good idea to incorporate into the community. She suggested that a farmers market be put into place on the MTA employee parking lot at the corners of Empire Blvd and Flatbush Av, on Parkside and Ocean Av, and also near Utica Av and Empire Blvd. Farmers markets allow fresh and local fruits and vegetables to reach a community that may not have had it beforehand. These are all great ideas and it would be interesting to follow up and see how these projects are developing.

I attended a community board meeting wit Katie, Alec, and Nicole in Sunset Park on February 18th.There was a fairly small turnout at the meeting as a result of poor weather, meaning that quorum was not met and nothing could be considered official. In spite of this, the meeting was conducted in a serious and professional manner. Representatives for many significant community offices such as senator and assemblymen showed up and gave brief updates on tasks that were being worked on and accomplished in their respective offices. On top of this, the majority of the meeting was dedicated to discussing three primary issues – education, traffic, and housing.

Sunset Park is in desperate need of more schools for its children, and a portion of our meeting was spent discussing a current plan to build a new K-8 school, as well as some of the difficulties it may face. The two primary issues were the process of obtaining the land, and the presence of extremely dangerous traffic in the area around the proposed school site. If necessary, community leaders are confident that they could claim the land through eminent domain, but they’d like to explore other options first. There is less confidence regarding a solution to the traffic problem. People proposed the introduction of an overpass/underground tunnel, as well as more crossing guards, but there was no dominant opinion.

Traffic is a prevalent issue throughout all of Sunset Park, and there are a surprising amount of trucks running throughout the community. In addition to being a significant safety hazard, they also introduce a great deal of noise and environmental pollution. Many people voiced opinions against the high density of truck traffic in the community, but few people really proposed solutions. There was brief mention of planning to build parking complexes for the trucks to try keeping them in a more safe, centralized location, but very few concrete details were addressed.

Finally, there was a portion of the meeting dedicated to the discussion of housing. There is a fairly significant housing crisis in Sunset Park, which is the result of two smaller, albeit still significant, issues. There are a number of Sunset Park residents enrolled in community schools who have, as a result of some strange flaws in the housing system, have had to take residence in shelters in the Bronx. For people still residing in Sunset Park, overcrowding is a rampant issue affecting large portions of the population. Families are doubling up in apartments designed for single families. There were some rumblings of building a new homeless shelter in Sunset Park, but they seemed equally as unreliable as those brought up about truck traffic.

The discussion of housing was particularly interesting, as it lined up with what I saw during the community observation visit. There was a surprisingly small number of residential buildings, especially compared to the extremely large population of people roaming the streets. Seeing as many of the residential buildings seemed to have vacant, broken down rooms, it’s not hard to see that there are far more people in the community than there are places to store them. Lack of housing is a serious issue in this community, and I’m glad to have seen it discussed – however lightly.

On Wednesday, February 18, I attended a meeting for Community Board 7 in Sunset Park. Unfortunately, the meeting did not meet quorum so technically it never happened. However it was still a very productive “fake” meeting. Much of the conversation was centered on the problem of overcrowding, homelessness, and education. One of the first main speakers was from a non-profit housing organization who spoke about rent regulation/stabilization and the homeless population of Sunset Park. The organization is fighting to keep rent stabilization, which is the biggest contributor to affordable housing in the area and is up for a vote in a few months. For those who are homeless, however, the organization wants to establish a shelter in Sunset Park so that families could be close to their jobs and their children’s schools. According to the speaker, forty-seven families from Sunset Park went to the Bronx intake center last year. Some of the people present, however, voiced their concerns about where they would find space for this new shelter. Other possibilities would be to have an intake center in Brooklyn or to convert hotels into temporary shelters.

One of the biggest problems in the neighborhood, however, is overcrowding. Thirty-five percent of people live in a doubled apartment, or with roommates. Those who are living in overcrowded apartments are considered to be on the brink of homelessness. The community board seeks to define having to double up in an apartment as homeless.

The next major topic discussed was education. The plans for a new school on 3rd  avenue and 59th street were approved and will be finished, hopefully, by 2019. The school will seat 676 students and will be built on a vacant lot. However, the location of the school is a bit of a problem. Third avenue is a very dangerous street and a few people were concerned about kids having to cross that street. Others were worried about air pollution, as a lot of trucks and buses travel down 3rd avenue. Unfortunately there are not a lot of ideal locations in Sunset Park for a school, forcing the community to use areas such as this. In conjunction with this problem, many of Sunset Park’s children do not have a school to go to, so any location will have to do.

In addition to these major topics, a few updates and reports were given. The district report included a lot of good news. A ferry service is said to return to Brooklyn and Queens in 2017, and there are a lot of safety improvements trying to be implemented on 3rd avenue. Also, all community boards in Brooklyn will receive a 10% budget increase, a cause for great celebration at the meeting. I was quite pleased when a report from the DA’s office was also given. The representative from the DA’s office gave information on arrests and court cases concerning Sunset Park community members. It is good to know that community members are aware of what is going on concerning a possible criminal or a possible innocent in their neighborhood.