THE COMMUNITY RESPONDS
A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A REPORTER:
ERROL LOUIS OF THE DAILY NEWS
On Thursday, September 10, 2009, constituents of City Councilmember Al Vann were
confronted with an inflammatory and inaccurate column "A Sorry Excuse for a
Leader," which was written by the New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis. The
article attempted to distort and slander Councilmember Vann's long-standing
contributions to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights and to all Brooklyn
communities of color.
The columnist Mr. Louis, a former business partner and admitted best friend of
one of the candidates challenging Councilmember Al Vann for the 36th Council
District, borrowed the same scare tactics and sad mixture of fact and fiction
characterized by those detractors and hecklers who oppose President Barack
Obama.
This columnist cannot go unchallenged in his repeated attempt to use his
position at the Daily News to further his personal political agenda. His article
is so false and so extreme in its denunciation of and attack on Councilmember
Vann that it necessitates an immediate and accurate response that reflects the
true definition of leadership and Al Vann's exemplary service to his
constituents and the larger society.
We represent community leaders who include, among others, Colvin W. Grannum,
President, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; Brenda Fryson, community
resident; Dr. Adelaide Sanford, Vice Chancellor Emeritus; Rhonda A. Lewis,
President/CEO Bridge Street Development Corporation; Jitu Weusi, Brooklyn
Activist; Job Mashariki, President/CEO Black Vets for Social Justice; Jeff
Dunston, Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development
Corporation; Ulysses Kilgore, III, President/CEO Bed-Stuy Family Health Center;
Jim Robinson, business leader; and Joan Eastman, life-long Bed-Stuy resident and
business woman. As people who have struggled and sacrificed alongside Al Vann in
pursuit of a better community and society, we were particularly offended by the
headline.
To begin with, we firmly believe that Mr. Louis should have informed his readers
that his close associate of more than 20 years is his partner and friend and is
seeking to unseat Vann. The failure to disclose this information is unethical
and intellectually dishonest and we are extremely dismayed that he would stoop
to embrace "yellow" journalism and historical revisionism in an attempt to
undermine Councilmember Vann's respected record on behalf of our district and
the larger community.
Additionally, the assertion that Councilmember Vann introduced no legislation is
totally false. In 2009, he introduced legislation to reform the City's water
lien policy to protect people from losing their homes due to being behind on
their water bill for a short period of time; co-sponsored legislation to give
the CCRB authority to prosecute cases of police misconduct and co-sponsored a
resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to establish a Recovery and
Opportunity Trust Fund to help train New York residents disproportionately
impacted by chronic long-term unemployment factors. Long before it became
fashionable for elected officials to challenge the practice of police brutality,
Councilmember Vann worked with leaders in our community to put an end to this
injustice. And in 2006, he co-sponsored laws designed to prevent and reduce the
trafficking of guns into our communities and their criminal use.
The columnist also criticizes the Councilmember for not attending a recent
candidates' forum moderated by him. However, the moderator's published
endorsement of one of the candidates challenging Vann long before this "candidates' forum" stripped the forum of all objectivity and fairness.
Councilmember Vann had every right to decline this invitation and avoid this
obvious "trap." It is apparent that this was an attempt by Louis to promote his
friend and associate.
Further evidence of the total lack of journalistic integrity by Errol Louis is
his assertion that Bedford-Stuyvesant is the foreclosure capital of New York
(September 10, 2009 editorial). Better research would have revealed that to the
contrary, most recent data indicate that more than a dozen communities,
including Jamaica, Queens and Flatlands, Brooklyn have a much higher number of
1-4 family actual foreclosures than Bedford Stuyvesant. In fact, it is
Councilmember Vann who has been consistent in supporting affordable housing
through his funding and work with organizations like the Bridge Street
Development Corporation, Black Veterans for Social Justice, Pratt Area Community
Council and other CB0s involved in developing affordable housing, as well as
foreclosure prevention and home buyer assistance programs. In Crown Heights, Al
Vann has also worked with and supported the efforts of the Crown Heights North
Association to preserve the architectural richness of Crown Heights North.
We who have struggled to rebuild our community and to protect our neighbor's
homes are astounded by the inaccurate depiction of Councilmember Vann's
leadership of the Committee on Community Development. His efforts have resulted
in the rezoning of Bedford Stuyvesant to protect brownstones and to promote
affordable housing throughout central Brooklyn and have encouraged us to
collectively develop a pro-active agenda to preserve our neighborhoods and to
enhance sustainable community development. These are the facts!!
More specifically, Councilmember Vann has taken the leadership and initiative
required to build a strong, vibrant institutional infrastructure in Central
Brooklyn. In order to truly eradicate long-term, systemic social, economic, and
cultural injustice, the environment in which predatory lenders thrive and in
which our youth, families and businesses suffer, he founded in 2003, the 36th
Council District Economic Development Task Force, which subsequently became the
Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford Stuyvesant (CIBS). This powerful, voluntary alliance of 25 community institutions working collectively has generated over $18 million in institutional support for Central Brooklyn. Other CIBS activities include the formation of Bedford-Stuyvesant's first BID, the
Bed-Stuy Gateway Project, and the selection of the central Brooklyn community by
the Obama administration as one of only two urban communities in the nation to
receive a grant to develop a model project that will save energy, respect our
environment and enable our community to attract the "green color" jobs that
President Obama has advocated.
Mr. Louis should be reminded that the seat that he once sought to represent in
the City Council and that the seats of numerous other candidates seeking
election are available because of the landmark 1985 Voting Rights decision which
revised the New York City Charter. This decision created congressional and
council districts based upon a fair representation of the people who reside in
those respective districts; the victory resulted in expanded representation for
communities of color that had previously been under-represented and redlined. It
was Vann who initiated this litigation to the Supreme Court before the late
Justice Thurgood Marshall.
A successful, effective visionary legislator, and a life-long resident of
Bedford Stuyvesant, Councilmember Al Vann's history demonstrates a commitment to
its youth and community institutions that serve them and to combating economic
and social injustice in Central Brooklyn. He is one of the original founders of
Medgar Evers College, the major CUNY institution in central Brooklyn. Over the
past eight years as a councilmember, he has consistently worked to create
programs targeting thousands of at-risk youth throughout Central Brooklyn and
East New York, including the highly successful Jackie Robinson Center for
Physical Culture, and sports, cultural, math and science educational programs.
More recently, as a result of his enlightened leadership and groundwork in
working with community leaders and advocates to raise the profile of the issue
of poverty and its impact on youth and families in New York City, he garnered
support and funding for 14 Economic Opportunity anti-poverty programs, serving
youth and families, including the Young Adult Internship Program, the New York
Justice Corps which provides job training and placement for young people who
have been involved with the criminal justice system, the Brooklyn Financial
Empowerment Center which provides financial education and counseling for
Brooklyn residents (both operated by Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation)
and the Nurse-Family partnership which provides improved healthcare services for
new mothers and their babies. These programs alone represent more than $4
million in funding.
Councilmember Vann was, of course, present for the family of Chanel Petro-Nixon,
and continues to this day to work with the local precinct regarding the
apprehension of her killer, as he was there for the family of other youth gone
much too soon through gun violence (like 15 year old Randy Evans who was
tragically killed in 1977). Al Vann, who was an Assemblymember at that time, and
other black leaders established the Randy Evans Scholarship Fund, which, 32
years later still provides scholarships to high school graduates.
Vann is currently working in north Brooklyn at Tompkins Houses in partnership
with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, NYCHA and the Tompkins Tenant
Association to bring more services and cultural enrichment to all the residents,
especially seniors and youth. Additionally, he has secured $24 million for
Brooklyn institutions, including the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the
Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA and the African American Heritage Center at the Macon
Branch of the Public Library, as well as $20 million for the improvement of
parks in the district. His commitment is to action, not rhetoric.
Clearly this is not the time for on-the-job training or neophyte leaders who
exhort promises and who have demonstrated records of failed initiatives.
As a result of the recent global recession that has created an unprecedented
employment and economic crisis in central Brooklyn as well as New York City and
the entire country, the people and institutions in this community deserve a
respected elected leader, with a proven record of accomplishments. We need a
committed leader who has vision, integrity and a broad range of experience to
represent our district at City Hall.
As the legendary, iconic educator and activist Adelaide Sanford, Vice Chancellor
Emerita, New York State Board of Regents, recently stated:
"Councilman Albert Vann has been and is a powerful force for the liberation
of our people for over forty years... His political acumen is legendary both in
the New York State Assembly and in the New York City Council."
We believe that it is the responsibility of the Daily News, out of respect for
its readers and journalism, to pen a truthful report about the accomplishments
and legislative history of Councilmember Al Vann, one of Central Brooklyn's and
as many believe, one of the country's leading legislators. A true depiction of
Councilmember Al Vann would portray how he has inspired this generation and
future generations to embrace principled and progressive politics that have
benefited our community.
To all of the well informed and concerned readers of the Daily News, with an
interest in facts, not fiction, we extend a heartfelt invitation for them to
please visit.
Signed,
Dr. Adelaide Sanford
Vice Chancellor Emeritus
Jeff Dunston
Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation
Ulysses Kilgore, III
President/CEO, Bed-Stuy Family Health Center
Brenda Fryson
Chair, Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Safety Taskforce
Colvin W. Grannum
President, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Job Mashariki
President/CEO, Black Vets for Social Justice
Rhonda A. Lewis
President/CEO, Bridge Street Development Corporation
Jitu Weusi
Brooklyn Activist
Jim Robinson
Business Leader
Joan Eastman
Lifelong Bed-Stuy Resident and Business Woman
|
