Short version. Your community attacktivists Alicia Boyd (she of MTOPP) and Lorraine Thomas (the MTOPP mole actually ON the Board) are claiming victory over your Community Board, which is essentially like claiming victory over YOU. Because your CB9 is comprised of 50 of your neighbors, who have been held hostage and bludgeoned by Boyd and company for the better part of three years, often unable to accomplish even the simplest of tasks as mandated by the city charter. If there is an H Train to Hell, I suspect Boyd, Thomas and (others I shan't name since they aren't, by law, public figures), commute on it regularly, consulting with their ruddy deity on how best to thwart the good intentions of their neighbors. On this diabolical but reliable subway line they are guaranteed a seat, because even when one is not available they forcibly remove all pregnant and disabled passengers in order make room for their smug comfort.
Background: MTOPP filed a suit over a year ago claiming the hiring of new District Manager Carmen Martinez did not conform to the letter of the law. This was after MTOPP managed to lead the charges against the former DM Pearl Miles. MTOPP's constant attacks and lawsuits against her and former Chair Jacob Goldstein got both of them canned, basically for little to nothing at all. Eric Adams didn't help, by replacing half the Board in the middle of the ruckus. MTOPP harassed the board chair Dwayne Nicholson into resigning, then chair Demetrius Lawrence into resigning, and hasn't let up against the latest chair Musa Moore.
And now they claim victory, having "won" the removal of Carmen Martinez, who by all accounts has been doing a terrific job running the office. Regardless of how you feel about the various people involved, or how they were hired, or the machine behind the puppetry. Mizzes Boyd and Thomas and some truly mean-spirited others have torn your one City-mandated representative body to shreds. Boyd is clearly deranged, but she's no dummy. Were she on the side of justice and all that is right, I dare say she'd be a hero. As it is, she's a goat, an unruly goat at that. ready to "Keep Empire Blvd Shitty" to the detriment of all that is good and possible vis a vis le Great Experiment known as New York City.
What is a Community Board? To hear the critics rail, you'd think it was a bunch of faceless, corrupt bureaucrats out to take away your civil rights and force you to endure unwanted changes and development in your precious neighborhood.
Don't believe the hype.
Your CB9 is a bunch of your neighbors. Period. They come from all walks of life, and they're generally lifelong committed and engaged citizens looking to make sure their nabe gets its fair share of city attention and services. That's it. It has very little actual power. BUT, a well-functioning board is well-situated to advise the city on matters of importance. When it is respected by city officials, for its willingness to work with city objectives and personnel AND for its well-reasoned and well-organized operations, shit gets done. Look no further than CB6 across the park. Park Slope gets the job done. It's safer, cleaner, better responded to than "our" side. It's CB meetings are efficient models of hyper-local democracy. Sure things get heated sometimes. But the City listens, and the City abides.
Ms. Boyd, I hope that your next ride on the H-Train is one-way, and that your metrocard privileges are revoked. You have ripped the guts out of the body politic in Lefferts/CrownHeights, and yet somehow you claim victory. Even the judgement itself shows how hollow were your howls. Back to square one, for both board and neighborhood. The waste of time and effort knows no bounds.
(if you're the sort that likes to see the full rendering of court case and verdict, shoot me an email and I'll send you a copy)
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| Alicia Boyd in action; yours truly checking his phone while showering in her spit. |
And now they claim victory, having "won" the removal of Carmen Martinez, who by all accounts has been doing a terrific job running the office. Regardless of how you feel about the various people involved, or how they were hired, or the machine behind the puppetry. Mizzes Boyd and Thomas and some truly mean-spirited others have torn your one City-mandated representative body to shreds. Boyd is clearly deranged, but she's no dummy. Were she on the side of justice and all that is right, I dare say she'd be a hero. As it is, she's a goat, an unruly goat at that. ready to "Keep Empire Blvd Shitty" to the detriment of all that is good and possible vis a vis le Great Experiment known as New York City.
What is a Community Board? To hear the critics rail, you'd think it was a bunch of faceless, corrupt bureaucrats out to take away your civil rights and force you to endure unwanted changes and development in your precious neighborhood.
Don't believe the hype.
Your CB9 is a bunch of your neighbors. Period. They come from all walks of life, and they're generally lifelong committed and engaged citizens looking to make sure their nabe gets its fair share of city attention and services. That's it. It has very little actual power. BUT, a well-functioning board is well-situated to advise the city on matters of importance. When it is respected by city officials, for its willingness to work with city objectives and personnel AND for its well-reasoned and well-organized operations, shit gets done. Look no further than CB6 across the park. Park Slope gets the job done. It's safer, cleaner, better responded to than "our" side. It's CB meetings are efficient models of hyper-local democracy. Sure things get heated sometimes. But the City listens, and the City abides.
Ms. Boyd, I hope that your next ride on the H-Train is one-way, and that your metrocard privileges are revoked. You have ripped the guts out of the body politic in Lefferts/CrownHeights, and yet somehow you claim victory. Even the judgement itself shows how hollow were your howls. Back to square one, for both board and neighborhood. The waste of time and effort knows no bounds.
(if you're the sort that likes to see the full rendering of court case and verdict, shoot me an email and I'll send you a copy)