July 24, 2017
My name is Pearl Barkley; I live in Thomas Jefferson Houses, my family and I are
the only ones who have ever lived in my apartment…so that puts my family living here
for about 60 years….I am writing you on the matter at hand, the rezoning of East
Harlem based on my observations, experiences, and reflections.
We the residents of East Harlem have been informed that “a change is a’ comin”
and have participated in the discussion. It is my observation that much of which has
been said by the community is not being considered as it should be. East Harlem is a
diverse community with a diverse past. From my own perspective as an African
American, when I review what has been written on the history of East Harlem…
everyone is mentioned in a definitive way but the African American although there is an
African Burial Ground in East Harlem and as it has been forgotten, we Africans did
come over here with the Dutch…in fact, what is now known as the FDR Drive was
originally a road built by the African slaves from the downtown area around Wall Street
to 126th Street on the east side. It seems like everyone has forgotten about the Dutch
West India Company although this was something I learned about when I went to
school at P.S. 155 in the early 1960s. Oh well, that’s the American Way, out with the
old and in with the new!!!! I am sure the Lenape who were here prior to Europeans and
the third wave of Africans would agree with me! Nonetheless, I will continue….
As I look at what is being considered as “progress” for East Harlem, it is clear to
me that “progress” is in friendship with stability. Let’s see, we progressed from saying
low-income to moderate income housing to “affordable housing”, used the legislation of
the Brook Amendment which defines 30% of earned income prior to taxes as affordable
for rent and combined this with specific percentages of Area Median Income as criteria
for eligibility for renting an apartment in East Harlem/El Barrio. Brilliant, absolutely
brilliant! That sure is progress! It would sure be nice if there was income equality
instead of income inequality… but of course that would defy the stability of American
culture and society so rooted in sexism, classim, and let’s not forget racism. “Progress”
would be housing that is inclusive meaning for everyone regardless of ability to pay so
and so amount for rent. By the way, the Brook Amendment was used to determine the
rent for people living in public housing.
To be concise, I have done my civic duty and have participated in the East
Harlem Neighborhood Plan initiatives. The one steering committee I was allowed to

 attend as a member of Community Voices Heard as the plan was being written had
many developers as members who consistently reminded the rest of us of what
developers can or would or cannot or would not do. Personally, I thought it was a
conflict of interest for them to be there, but what do I know? At another meeting I
attended, after the plan was written a woman young enough to be my daughter
(possibly granddaughter) informed us that East Harlem does not have a “food system”
and argued with me when I pointed out that I can buy what I need to eat everywhere in
East Harlem…she mentioned affordability I told her poverty and a food system are two
different issues…again what do I know? This brings up the question on “Who is a stake
holder in the community?”
To once again refer to history, if justice is to be served on any level as it applies
to the rezoning plan, this history of marginalization and discrimination must be
addressed. It is my position that all of the questions surrounding these concerns are
grounded in the historical reality that OUR neighborhood has suffered for years due to
the prescription suggested by Senator Patrick Moynihan of “benign neglect” and
implementation of the policy of Planned Shrinkage, a theory of Roger Starr.

At the

time, Roger Starr was the executive director of the Citizens' Housing and Planning
Council; a phony “citizens' group” funded and governed by the real-estate industry.
Moynihan once said, “People in the South Bronx don't want housing or they
wouldn't burn it down. It's fairly clear that housing is not the problem in the South
Bronx” (Wallace et al, 2001 p.22). As part of his rationalization to support his theory
Roger Starr offered this is 1969, “Yet, no matter how lightly the word is used, the
overtones of community refuse to die out, lending to the place or persons referred to,
a significance they never earned” (Wallace et al, 2001, p.24) from his book, Urban
choices: The city and its critics which was published 1969..
New York City along with the state and federal governments followed these two
diabolic streams of thought and initiated actions which led to disinvestment in our
community. These actions equated with a withdrawal of funding for essential services,
such as fire departments, libraries. Withdrawal of funding under the Nixon
administration resulted in the “… shifting money from the inner cities to the suburbs via
block grants, dismantling the Model Cities programs, and violating the civil rights and
civil liberties of organizations and individuals” (Wallace et al, 2001, p. 21- 22). As they
say the rest is history and East Harlem as other areas were thwarted during a cycle of

 renewed possibilities in the midst of progress. The programs my cohort and I were privy
to no longer exist…
Some of my neighborhood friends succeeded beyond their wildest dreams… one
I know became a dean of Fordham University, one a editor of the New York Times, one
a engineer and property owner, one a editor for ABC news, one a diplomat, one a
owner of a detective agency and on and on and on…most became hard working
individuals ready or already retired, and some fell by the waste side…
For 6 months, East Harlem residents were engaged in a visioning process
regarding the upcoming changes which are predicted to come to our community. I
attended the majority of these visioning sessions. The visioning process’ intent and
purpose was to capture how WE see these projected changes it in regards to our
needs, desires, and aspirations. As WE have moved through the process the major
concerns have been affordability in housing (which is being undermined by AMI
mandates and the definition of “affordable housing”), wages, and proposed locations for
building or “redevelopment”. The questions surrounding these concerns have been
affordable for “who”, who will we be hired if this goes through and how much will WE get
paid, how much redevelopment is to be done, displacement, the infrastructure, and
most important QUALITY OF LIFE are still unanswered!
Some Suggestions:
Due diligence in the decision making of those responsible for the rezoning of
East Harlem must be guided by the principles of distributive justice in housing which
adheres to the mandate that housing is a right and not a privilege. Period! This is a
moral issue, not a financial issue or personal issue. A different measuring rod for
success has to be used. The following are some ways in which this justice can be
carried out;
• Housing

must be inclusive meaning for everyone regardless of ability to pay so

and so amount for rent
• The

infrastructure of East Harlem needs to be repaired and updated prior to any

housing coming in; currently many people who live on the ground floors in
Jefferson Houses experience unexpected sewer back ups which spill over into
their apartments. As a subsequence of the outdated sewer system in NYC
and East Harlem over the years Jefferson Houses has also had problems with

 over flooding basements. We all know about the gas explosion which occurred
a couple of years ago so there is no need for details to be supplied
• In

the Mayor’s MIH mandate, the income levels need to be lower. I am
suggesting that needed monies be supplied by the City in a form of housing
subsidy.

• It

is my observation that East Harlem / El Barrio is already crowded
enough! Therefore consideration needs to be made as to the environmental
impact additional populous being added to East Harlem prior to housing being
built

•A

safety net must be available to cover the subsidy for rents for residents in the
event of personal crises (i.e. lose job, get sick etc.). This should be supplied
by the city government.

• The

city government should stop shirking its responsibility and admit that it needs

to build more public housing. Monies for this could be obtained through use of
the Battery Park Fund as well as by implementation of the “Robin Hood Tax”
which according to their website “This small tax of 0.5% on Wall Street
transactions would generate hundreds of billions of dollars each year in the US
alone. The revenue raised would be enough to protect American schools,
housing, local governments and hospitals, to pay for lifesaving AIDS
medicines, to support people and communities around the world, and to deal
with the climate challenges we're facing”.
Conclusion
I am no genius and certainly do not have all of the answers. I do know that the
development and use of a different method is the only way to ensure justice which
should be the only criteria for PROGRESS! The recent protests against our current
President and the G20 Summit point to dissatisfaction and a demand for change. The
rezoning of East Harlem cannot be conducted under the guise of “business as usual”.
The world is in a state of crisis and flux and the masses are demanding more. I
would like to end my remarks with some words regarding the need for spiritual power
from Maat: The Eleven Laws of God by Shekem Ur Shekem, Ra Un Nefer Amen;
“It is important to realize that cultivation of spiritual power is not an option. Within all of
us is a drive for the empowerment that will assist us in the accomplishment of our
worldly tasks, or the fear that accompanies the sense of impotence in the face of

 overwhelming challenges. It is hoped that psychologists and sociologists will one day
come to realize that it is the ill response to this urge that is the driving force that leads
the powers that be in the world in their acts of conquest and empire building. Deep
inside of them is the belief that only by controlling at all costs the lives and resources of
others can they attain the security – real happiness they – covet for themselves and
their kin. On the other hand, ultimately, it is the spiritual impotence of the many that
enable a tiny few to rule the world. It is a great shame as the powers of the universe
flow through the spirit of the conqueror and the spirit of the conquered. What is the
answer to wars?”
Thank you for taking the time to read this message….
Sincerely,
Pearl Barkley

Reference
Ra Un Nefer Amen. (2003). Maat: The Eleven Laws of God. Brooklyn, NY: Khamit
Media Trans Vision, Inc.
The Robin Hood Tax. (2017). How it works. Retrieved
from http://www.robinhoodtax.org/how-itworks#sthash.R4vaQuOP.dpuf or http://www.urbanmallsale.com/index.asp
Wallace, D. & Wallace, R. (2001). Chapter 2: Benign neglect and Planned Shrinkage in
A Plague on Your Houses: How New York Was Burned Down and National Public
Health Crumbled. Retrieved
from http://upfromflames.brooklynhistory.org/uff_resources/images_resources/WallaceaPlagueOnOurHouses-Chapter2.pdf