As The New York Times took note last Saturday, “Community gardens are the most vulnerable spaces in the city,” which makes the transfer of seventeen (17!) interim spaces created and supported through 596 Acres’ advocacy this winter all the more remarkable. Read more in the Brooklyn Paper.
596 Acres, Common Cause/NY, and the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center invite neighborhood groups to collaborate with us this spring on workshops about power over public real estate assets. We will help your members and neighbors learn to protect and expand publicly owned and controlled land and buildings in our neighborhoods. And we will pay you a little bit of money. All groups encouraged to apply and to form coalitions to invite NYCommons to your ‘hoods. No need to be formal or incorporated. Details here. Deadline is February 12, 2016.
NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES
South Williamsburg, Brooklyn – Amazing news! Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is finally willing to transfer the lot on the corner of Hooper and South 4th Streets to the NYC Parks Department, 24 years after the community planned it as “Open Space” and City Council adopted the plan. Contact Robert to hold to their promise and get involved in planning this long-awaited community park: hooperstreetpark@gmail.com.
Bushwick, Brooklyn – The Police Commissioner seems to think there are more police cars in the neighborhood than existing NYPD parking lots (click the link to read his letter). We have noticed that not only the lot next door to this City-owned lot that has been vacant for decades, but the nearby NYPD lots on Dekalb Avenue, often have many empty spaces. Time to organize “Police Parking Lot Watch” and document the actual use of the existing spaces. Who’s up for setting up a monitoring system?
Ozone Park, Queens – Lianna, a teacher at a school near this handsome City-owned lot on 99th Street, is looking for collaborators to plan a community park with her. Get in touch if this is your neighborhood: lianna.a.brenner@gmail.com.
GARDENS AT RISK
Crown Heights, Brooklyn – Letter writing party tomorrow to bring the eminent domain bills recently introduced to preserve the Roger That! garden to the attention of legislators in Albany! Watch a great short film about the garden here then come out: Tuesday, January 26, 7-10pm at Two Saints, 753 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn. Event details here.
Crown Heights, Brooklyn – Join gardeners of Imani I in protecting this fantastic willow tree and and over three decades of continuous gardening at this site. Come to Council Member Robert Cornegy’s office on Saturday, January 30 at 10 AM at 1360 Fulton Street, Suite 500 between NY Ave and Brooklyn Ave in Restoration Plaza to show him this garden matters and brainstorm next steps to getting it back from the private speculators who just bought it at auction.
Prospect Lefferts, Brooklyn – On January 6, the Maple Street Community Garden eminent domain bill in the State Senate (introduced by Jesse Hamilton last fall to put the garden on a path to preservation) was referred to the Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee. This means a whole new group of Senators needs to be hearing from the Maple Street Community via this letter campaign. The members are here. A little indoor advocacy goes a long way!
GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN: GRANT DEADLINES APPROACHING
Neighborhood Grants from Citizens Committee for New York City of up to $3,000 to resident-led groups are due at midnight tonight January 25, 2016.
Partnerships for Parks’ Capacity Fund Grant program grants of up to $5,000 to groups working on NYC Parks Department property are due February 1, 2016.
Check out our list of micro grants and resources that can help you make your project a reality AFTER you have access to your lot.
SAVE THE DATES
Sao Paulo: Promoting Non-Speculative Property, a talk with Paula Segal at the Centro Cultural da Ocupação São João (an autonomous social center in an occupied and formerly abandoned hotel. Co-sponsored by Lanchonete.org. Saturday, February 13, 4pm, Av São João 588, São Paulo, Brazil. Event details are here.
Brooklyn, NYC: 596 Acres, the New York City Community Garden Coalition and Farming Concrete are leading the “What’s So Great About Your Garden?” workshop at Making Brooklyn Bloom on March 12, 2016, 10-11am. Event details are here.
Manhattan. NYC: 596 Acres is facilitating a Campaign Action Session at the Just Food Conference on March 13, 2016 at Teacher’s College at Columbia University in Manhattan: “Communities Protecting Growing Spaces in NYC.” Event details are here.
Manhattan, NYC: A Talk through NYC’s Commons at Fordham Law School, hosted by the Community Economic Development Clinic & the Fordham Urban Law Center. Tuesday, March 15, 4-6pm, 150 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023. Everyone is welcome; let Paula know if you want to join the presentation to talk about your community space and the process of commonification you have been through: paula@596acres.org.
Bronx, NYC: 596 Acres will lead workshops on “Organizing ourselves: the basics of working in groups” at this year’s GreenThumb’s GrowTogether gathering, 11:30 am to 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm to 3:30 pm on March 19, 2016, at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York 10451.
COLLABORATORS
Join our friends from Picture the Homeless on the steps of City Hall this Wednesday, January 27 at 11am for the roll-out of the Gaining Ground campaign. In their words: “We collaborated with nonprofit housing developers to create the Gaining Ground Pilot Project, which uses the community land trust model to save taxpayers money at the same time as it develops housing, incubates small businesses, creates jobs, and slows down displacement from gentrification.”Event details here. 596 Acres is a Gaining Ground co-sponsor.
The New York City Real Estate Investment Cooperative is establishing a Steering Committee and continuing to build a financing cooperative to strike back at the displacement of key cultural, retail, cooperative and manufacturing space in NYC. Read the latest here. The next All Member meeting and opportunity to join is this Thursday, January 28, 2016, at 6pm at New Middle Collegiate Church on 2nd Avenue and 7th Street in Manhattan. Event details here. Already a member and can’t make it but want to vote? Download the REIC Steering Committee Proxy and write in your vote then send someone to the meeting with it.
GREEN WARRIORS AT WORK (THE JOB LISTINGS SECTION)
Randall Island Park Alliance is looking for a gardener. Paid position, details here.
Big Reuse (formerly Build It Green) has openings in the reuse stores and their compost program.
Got a story you need to tell? Here is a paid opportunity to write about your local land access campaign of another environmental justice issue in Uneven Earth.
Did you miss us?
Paula, for 596 Acres
