January 23, 2020: I went into the city to address the issues of upzoning and aggressive yimbys who age-shame community activists for being “too old” to contribute.
Here’s the statement I gave:
I was born and raised in Manhattan and have now resided in Queens for over two decades in beautiful Long Island City, a neighborhood also known for its century-old loft factory buildings.
A year ago, at meetings like this, I stood up to Amazon’s bid to obtain riverfront public city land for free.
I was faulted for being “the type” of person who shows up to civic meetings and to protest.
I was criticized for not having a “normal” job; I was told that I was a “kook,” and that I needed to “take my medication.”
These critics are also known for photographing attendees at local meetings, such as this one, so to then discredit those unassuming subjects via social media posts.
In these posts, the main criticism is age: the argument presented is that older people should not make decisions about their communities, despite decades, even lifetimes, of residency.
Maybe I do need to take my medication because I do not find this to be a cogent argument.
In fact, I find it to be offensive and unsophisticated.
It would behoove Yimby to partner better with the neighborhoods it seeks to destroy instead of just posting pics of our grey hair online.
Soho is worthy of a special consideration for protection because of its rare and unique spaces, its history and beauty.
Once something, a building, a space, a garden, is gone, it’s gone.
To appropriate the Churchill quote, “the buildings,” and gardens, “which” now “shape us” will be replaced by a slick and characterless Sims wet dream created by a spare cadre of rude, money-obsessed snarks.
And we cannot allow for that.
Thank you,
CM
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(One of the board members took a copy of my letter and thanked me for traveling into the city to speak. This person also, thankfully, confirmed CB2 is not fond of Yimby. I’m really glad I went: every opportunity to speak is ultimately important and always counts.)
