New York City is still desperately in need of a Cultural Plan that meets the needs of all its citizens. In spite of the enormous effort expended to create the 176 page CreateNYC, Cultural Plan of Mayor de Blasio, there is still no remedy for the threat of extinction that communities of color and all marginalized people are still facing. What is missing is a lack of concrete funding commitments for smaller cultural organizations, racial and cultural equity within the sector and adequate displacement policies with its own property. Although the Mayor’s plan has revealed the need for greater cultural equity in the leadership and workforce of the City’s Cultural Institution Groups it has done nothing to address the rampant discriminatory and exclusionary practices of the pseudo-elite non-profit arts complex against artists of color and ethnicity. Indeed it condoned these practices while rolling out the cultural plan and continues to abdicate all responsibility for continuance of them in Cityowned property. As the first dispossessed people in America, AMERINDA is a prime example of what all artists of color and ethnicity and community-based organizations of color supporting their cultural practice face. AMERINDA is the only Native American arts organization of its kind to service the Native and broader community with authentic cultural creative arts programming engaging artists that have historically been marginalized in the city and nation. Amerinda as a not-for-profit organization for than 30 years has provided an avenue for Native American artists to present their work with dignity as central story tellers and creators of our experience. Located in Community Board 3 for all of our existence we have been in search of a location within our greater community for a long time. Some of the original Native villages and corn fields were located in Community Board 3. When 122CC announced the availability of three spaces as a not-for-profit arts organization with a long history of excellence we applied. The announcement and application process indicated that there were three spaces available for not-for-profit community-based organizations to apply for consideration and that there could be more than one organization accepted. We received a letter dated August 20, 2017 (see attached) that indicates that all three spaces have been awarded to one organization, Movement Research. The City-owned space that has been provided at a third of market rate to 122CC to manage by New York City should uphold the inclusion of the cultural arts diversity of organizations in New York City and the community. They have not and Even in spite of the fact that DCLA and the District 2 City Council Member were on the selection committee and the City owns the building. Indeed then Deputy Commissioner Edwin Torres informed us in a meeting 2016 that the City’s covenant with 122CC allowed for them to select new tenants but DCLA had the final approval. We had hoped this included preventing discriminatory and exclusionary practices against us. It has also come to our attention that the selection of whom the space was to be awarded was a predetermined outcome decided before the announcement of the rfp. All the applicants for the spaces in the building were victims of a fraudulent process with a pre-determined outcome. All wasted precious limited organizational resources because of a paradigm of white privilege. The resident organizations that occupy 122CC and now Movement Research reflect a narrow artistic vision not including organizations created and run by people of color and the ethnic diversity that makes this city unique. It is incomprehensible that DCLA would be supportive of this fraudulent process that one group be awarded more than 3,825 sq. ft. of space. There is no financial, professional or legal justification for this exclusionary practice towards us. This is the second time we have been treated in an unequitable and fraudulent manner by a non-diverse arts consortium occupying city-owned property. People going as far as publicly stating “who is acceptable to be allowed in their building” Clearly there is a pattern of condoned discrimination and exclusionary practices against us by European American arts organizations. When we protest these practices we receive no remedy or relieve from the elected and appointed officials whose job it is to provide equitable treatment for all citizens in City-owned property. Non-Native organizations frequently contact us to host Native programming with them and we must turn them down because we have no space effectively guaranteeing we have no voice in our own culture. When we applied for the space in 122CC we hoped to receive one of the three spaces so could finally have a space to present contemporary Native art in a space we could afford. Two major foundations had expressed the desire American Indian Artists Inc., (AMERINDA) CreateNYC Oversight Comprehensive Cultural Plan City Council Chambers Wednesday, September 20, 2017 to support our new program development. Instead we are still excluded without any space and another nondiverse organization is receiving three spaces. All we have ever asked from the City is that they provide us with some space in City-owned property to do our work and serve the tribally-enrolled community and the non-Native citizens of New York with highly professional contemporary Native art practice. In addition to the Cultural Institution Group (CIG) the City has provided numerous European-American arts organizations (non-CIG) with all the resources. They have done nothing for the tribally-enrolled Native community. AMERINDA fully supports the Peoples Cultural Plan because it is the only public policy platform put forth that honestly addresses the lack of concrete funding commitments for smaller cultural organizations, racial and cultural equity within the sector and adequate displacement policies. As the City descends into another Great Depression for people of color and marginalized groups we call upon the City to collaborate where ever possible with the Peoples Cultural Plan to honestly address the systemic, economic and institutional racism that continue to plague all of us. Both AMERINDA Inc. and the American Indian Community House (social Service agency), both affirm the following: We are the direct living descendants of the people whom Columbus first murdered and stole their land. Signatories to treaties between our sovereign Native Nations and the United States government. If the City cannot meet with us and support our current urgent request for a modest amount of space, do not pimp the Native American community over a statue of Columbus in order to play a thinly disguised race card in an election year. No one can legitimately represent tribally-enrolled communities unless they are from these recognized communities-known by and accountable to them. We are honored to work with other unaffiliated indigenous communities as they represent their own constituent communities, and uphold the principle that each community can only represent themselves unless prior informed consent is sought and provided. David Bunn Martine I(Chiricahua Apache/Shinnecock) Chairperson American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA) Diane Fraher( (Osage/Cherokee) Founder and Director American Indian Artists Inc., (AMERINDA) CreateNYC Oversight Comprehensive Cultural Plan City Council Chambers Wednesday, September 20, 2017